Garlic is an ancient and precious medicinal and edible treasure, known abroad as the "guardian of health". China has also had a saying since ancient times: "When garlic comes to market, the pharmacy closes."
According to Sun Mengli, Deputy Director of the Nutrition Department at the First Hospital of Peking University, garlic indeed has many health benefits. Firstly, allicin, contained in garlic, is a powerful killer of bacteria, inhibiting and destroying bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Escherichia coli. It can be used to treat and prevent bacterial diseases like bacillary dysentery and whooping cough. Garlic is also a boon for patients with hyperlipidemia. After eating high-fat foods like sausages and cured meats, the fat content in the blood doubles. If eaten with garlic, this increase in fat can be curbed.
"The reason garlic has such outstanding effects," explains Li Changping, a senior dietitian at the Nutrition Department of Beijing Hospital, "is because it contains two active substances: alliin and allinase. Once garlic is crushed, these substances come into contact with each other, forming allicin. Allicin has a strong bactericidal effect, but it is quickly deactivated by heat. Therefore, eating raw garlic is more effective for sterilization than cooked garlic."
Therefore, to achieve the best health benefits, it is best to mash garlic into a paste rather than mincing it with a knife. Moreover, it should be left for 10-15 minutes before consumption, allowing the alliin and allinase to combine in the air to produce allicin. Thus, using raw garlic in cold salads and dipping sauce for dumplings made with mashed garlic mixed with vinegar and a little sesame oil are very healthy ways to consume it.
China's traditional cuisine—Laba garlic, pickled with vinegar and sugar by northerners to celebrate the Laba Festival, results in a pale green garlic with a sweet, sour, and spicy flavor that can relieve dry mouth and stimulate appetite. Garlic is rich in vitamins, and its combination with acetic acid is beneficial to health. For those with a weak constitution or a feeble digestive system, it is advisable to eat cooked garlic, such as roasted garlic. In the summer, people who enjoy barbecue often roast garlic on the fire and eat it while hot. This roasted garlic has almost no unpleasant odor and tastes like ginkgo nuts, which is very delicious. However, the bactericidal and disinfectant properties of this type of garlic are significantly reduced.