MIddle Eastern Cuisine: Garlic, Effective Anti-Coagulant

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MIddle Eastern Cuisine- Garlic, Effective Anti-Coagulant

JoAnn Guest

Feb 21, 2004 11:02 PST

 

 

Garlic is one of nature's most versatile foods. This pungent herb

aids reduces high blood pressure, improves circulation, " prevents "

blood clots from forming, lowers high blood pressure, cholesterol,

and alleviates bronchitis and intestinal infections.

 

Research suggests that garlic may help protect against heart disease

and stroke by lowering blood pressure. It contains " allylic

sulfides " ,

which may " neutralize " carcinogens.

 

In fact, garlic has been linked to lower rates of stomach cancer as

well.

 

The Environmental Nutrition newsletter published evidence from five

clinical trials showing that one-half to one clove per day lowered

cholesterol levels an average of nine percent in people with

borderline

and high LDL cholesterol.

 

Scientific interest in the healing power of garlic has exploded so

much

over the last decade that the National Library of Science now lists

nearly 150 papers published on garlic's ability to maintain good

health!

 

Heavily used in Middle Eastern cooking, garlic is one of the main

ingredients in hummus, a dip made of ground chickpeas and sesame

paste and typically served with lettuce and crisp vegetables,

sometimes as a sandwich on pita bread (which is also called " pocket

bread " because you can open it and fill it).

 

Hummus can also be used as a spread in a sandwich with small patties

made from beans or meat.

 

Hummus

 

2½ cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 cup dried)

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

¼ cup organic vegetable stock or springwater

6 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons EV olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander leaves, minced

Paprika to taste

 

Combine all ingredients except paprika and process in a blender or

food

processor until smooth. Sprinkle with paprika. Makes 2 to 3 cups.

Hummus is often served with the traditional Middle Eastern dish

known as

tabbouleh. Made from bulgur (cracked wheat) combined with lots of

parsley, mint and vegetables, this salad has been a favorite food in

the

Middle East and Asia since biblical times. Bulgur is made by boiling

wheat berries, then drying and cracking them. Because it has been

precooked, this nutritious food can be stored longer than other

grains.

Like rice, it fluffs up when properly cooked.

 

In ancient Greece, parsley was used to treat urinary tract infection

and

inflammation.

 

Herbalists use mint to soothe nerves, ease stomachaches and

alleviate cold and flu symptoms.

---

 

Commonly referred to as " Nature's " Antibiotic- Garlic is one of the

world's most healing foods. It was used as a powerful medicine

centuries

before Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the

wilderness.

 

The " magic and medicine of plants " states that garlic is " …a good

friend

to mankind. Besides the savor it adds to foods, garlic is said to

have

given strength to the pyramid builders, courage to the Roman

legions,

and fighting spirit to English gamecocks…

garlic's medicinal uses have been documented for centuries.

 

It was always a popular remedy for colds, sore throats and coughs - -

 

either eaten raw or taken as a syrup, which was made by boiling

garlic

cloves and water for half a day.

 

Physicians and herbalists alike prescribed

garlic as a diuretic and for intestinal disorders and rheumatism…

 

" Colonists arriving in America discovered that the Indians knew

about

the healing powers of a native species of garlic and relied on the

plant

to treat a variety of medical problems, from snakebites to

intestinal worms.

" Garlic may have helped to cure many diseases because it is a potent

antiseptic.

 

It was used in both World Wars. "

 

Garlic and its cousin, the onion, were regarded for both health-

giving

and magical qualities in ancient cultures.

Garlic was one of the first foods to be deliberately cultivated,

although wild varieties grew in abundance. Evidence of its healing

powers is detailed in 4,000 year-old records from the ancient

kingdom of

Sumeria.

 

Depictions of garlic bulbs have been discovered on the walls of

Egyptian tombs that date back to 3200

 

During that same period, ancient records reveal that garlic was the

principal ingredient in many remedies that Egyptian healers

prescribed

for headaches, sore throats and other complaints. By the time of

Moses, garlic was already being used as an " anticoagulant " ,

antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agent, as a

relief for flatulence, a diuretic, a sedative, a poultice, and as a

cure

for internal parasites.

 

At least 67 different varieties of garlic and onions have been

identified as growing in the Holy Land, so it's little wonder that

the

ancient Israelites developed a fondness for it centuries ago.

 

It may be for health reasons that the Talmud specifies that several

different foods are to be seasoned with garlic regularly.

 

 

Research suggests that garlic may help protect against heart disease

and stroke by lowering blood pressure.

It contains " allylic sulfides " ,

which may neutralize carcinogens.

 

 

The Environmental Nutrition newsletter published evidence from five

clinical trials showing that one-half to one clove per day lowered

cholesterol levels an average of nine percent in people with

borderline

and high LDL cholesterol.

 

Scientific interest in the healing power of garlic has exploded so

much

over the last decade that the National Library of Science now lists

nearly 150 papers published on garlic's ability to maintain good

health!

 

In various studies, garlic powder, aged garlic extracts and fresh

garlic all have had positive effects in preventing cancer in

animals;

improving diabetes management; slowing the growth of human

cytomegalo-virus

(often seen in people with AIDS);

preventing fatigue; and relieving stress more effectively than the

addictive tranquilizer,

Valium!

 

As little as half a raw clove will " boost " the body's " natural

protection "

against " blood clots " , which cause heart attacks and strokes.

It takes only two raw garlic cloves a day to lower cholesterol

levels in heart patients.

 

The ingredient that gives garlic its strong smell, a chemical called

" allicin " , is also what makes it such a potent antibiotic.

 

In hundreds of experiments, allicin extract from raw garlic has

destroyed the germs that " spread " such diseases as botulism,

tuberculosis, diarrhea, staph, dysentery, and typhoid.

 

One scientist reports: Garlic has the broadest spectrum of any

anti-microbial substance we know of. It's antibacterial, antifungal,

antiparasitic, antiprotozoan and antiviral. "

 

Some researchers say that one medium-sized garlic clove has as much

antibacterial power as

 

100,000 units of penicillin.

 

Japanese scientists have " distilled " an " antibiotic medication "

called

" kyolic " from raw garlic. Because it was used so commonly as an

antibiotic by Russian army medics during World War II, it became

known

throughout all Europe as the

 

Russian " Penicillin "

 

An astonishing 500 tons of garlic were trucked into Moscow to combat

one influenza epidemic in the 1950s. European doctors still

prescribe

garlic to ward off colds, pneumonia, whooping cough and a wide array

of

intestinal disorders.

 

A natural ingredient in garlic called " alliin " is changed into the

antibiotic substance, " allicin " , when it is chewed, chopped or

crushed.

 

Western medical experts are now studying reports that the Chinese

used

high doses of garlic to cure " cryptococcal meningitis " , a disease

that is

often " fatal " .

 

The Chinese doctors say that it works by boosting the body's natural

immunity.

 

In the U.S. several researchers are studying exactly what effect

garlic

does have on the immune system. In one study, AIDS patients who ate

at

least a clove of garlic a day for three months significantly

improved

their " immune functions " , which the disease severely damages.

 

In some patients, chronic herpes sores were " completely eradicated " ;

in

others, cancer cells were destroyed.

 

Animal tests in Japan indicated that fresh garlic might be an

effective

weapon against a form of breast cancer. Another finding from the

same

study suggested that garlic was probably a " better antioxidant " than

Vitamin E, one of the top antioxidants known to slow the aging

process.

 

At the M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston, Texas,

investigators looked at sulfur compounds from both garlic and onions

and concluded their ingredients " blocked the formation " of

carcinogens

that lead to colon cancer. Meanwhile, the National Cancer Institute

has

announced that the sulfur in garlic is high on its list of potential

natural " chemopreventatives. "

 

A study at Bombay Hospital's Research Center in India, found that

those

who ate several garlic cloves daily

(depending on the size of the person)

significantly " reduced the risk " of potentially deadly blood clots

-even in patients who already " suffered " from coronary disease.

 

In even smaller doses, garlic drastically reduced cholesterol levels

-on the average from 305 to 218 over a 60-day period.

 

Researchers at Loma Linda University in California achieved equally

" dramatic results " when they tested Japan's garlic extract, kyolic.

 

An ounce a day (approximately eight to nine cloves) reduced

dangerous

LDL cholesterol from 10 to 50 percent and boosted the production of

HDL

cholesterol, which the body needs for good health.

 

Hypertension is a modern affliction that the people of biblical

times

didn't have to deal with. There is now " ample proof " that garlic

has a near-miraculous ability to " lower " high blood pressure.

 

The British

Medical Journal " The Lancet " , recently reported that studies

conducted

in Eastern European laboratories showed that garlic produces a

systolic

blood pressure drop of 20 to 30 points and a diastolic drop of 10 to

20

points.

 

That's more than enough to bring even the most severe

hypertension to manageable levels without drugs.

 

 

Dr. Eric Block, head of chemistry at State University of New York at

Albany, recently extracted a compound from garlic which he named

" ajoene " . In Spanish, " ajo " is garlic.

 

He found that ajoene " prevents " blood clots from forming.

 

" As an

'antithrombotic' agent, ajoene is more potent than aspirin, " he

said.

 

For years medical experts have prescribed limited doses of aspirin

to

prevent or dissolve dangerous blood clots.

Early tests also indicate that ajoene has few of the " unwanted side

effects " of anticoagulant drugs.

 

Many doctors are now going back to ancient folklore and home

remedies

that call for garlic as a decongestant and an expectorant in the

treatment of common colds and chronic bronchitis.

 

Like chili peppers and other hot, pungent foods, garlic works by

turning on the body's natural " fire-fighting " faucets to cool the

heat.

This provokes the lungs and bronchial tubes to produce more fluids -

which in turn thin the mucus and help " flush it out " of the body.

 

While cooking may destroy or reduce the " allicin' and weaken the

garlic's potential, most of its " therapeutic benefits " remain.

Cooked

garlic still lowers blood cholesterol, for example, and works as a

decongestant and cough medicine.

 

Whether in cooked, raw or in extract form, garlic may be one of the

most " potent " natural healing foods we have. The ancient people of

the

Bible knew that basic fact of life. Some of our scientists are just

rediscovering it!

 

Taken from

" Healing Foods of the Bible " By Bernard Ward

 

Hummus:

 

Everyone loves Hummus. It is the dip that can be served anytime you

need a great appetizer, be it with pita bread, or as a vegetable

dip.

Hummus makes every dinner table more enjoyable because of the flavor

that is loved by the young and old alike. It is easy and quick to

make,

and it is for all seasons.

-

 

http://www.arabicnews.com/recipes/Hummus.html

_________________

 

Tabbouleh

 

1 cup soup stock

1 cup uncooked bulgur

1/3 cup minced scallions

1/3 cup minced mint

1/3 cup minced parsley

2 organic peeled and chopped roma tomatoes

¼ cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon tamari

 

Bring the soup stock to a boil in a pan and stir in the bulgur.

Cover

the pan and remove from heat. Let sit until liquid is absorbed,

about 20

minutes. Fluff the bulgur with a fork. Mix in scallions, mint,

parsley

and tomatoes while bulgur is still warm so that it absorbs their

flavor.

Combine lemon juice, oil and tamari and drizzle over the bulgur mix.

Toss to mix.

Let sit to marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

 

 

 

Garlic Spread

 

¾ cup EV olive oil

7 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon Herbamare (salt substitute)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

 

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Bake in oven set on low heat for

15

minutes. Serve as a side dish or spread on bread.

 

Garlic-Ginger Dressing

 

½ EV cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon each tamari and tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 teaspoon grated ginger rhizome

1 clove garlic, minced

 

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Use on vegetable or bean salad

and

vegetable dishes.

 

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/15/129.cfm

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets