Grandma's secret...Garlic

For long, our good old grandmas have been staunch believers of garlic's inherent anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Their stand has now been vindicated now by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States saying that they have found out precisely why garlic makes such a valuable health tonic. Garlic enhances the body’s own production of a compound that relaxes blood vessels, increases blood flow, and prevents blood clots and oxidative damage.

Much of the research into the pharmacological benefits of garlic has focused on the organic polysulphides that the clove is rich in, the best known of which is allicin.

But the new research suggests that allicin and similar biologically active compounds are only a part of the positive effects of garlic and that it is the chemical messenger that is produced when these compounds are metabolised that is important.

Allicin stimulates the release of hydrogen sulfide from red blood cells. Though this compound is lethal in large doses, in minute doses it relaxes the blood vessels and promotes smooth flow of blood, the researchers said.

So the next time, your mom or grandma dish out their secrets, don't wrinkle your nose, but heed to their advice. You never know, research could back up their claim at a later date.