Garlic (Lahsun)

Garlic is a spice known as “Rasona” in Ayurveda. It is a popular ingredient in cooking due to its strong smell and medicinal properties. It is rich in sulphur compounds that attribute to its various health benefits.
Garlic helps to manage weight by improving the metabolism of the body. It is good for heart health as it maintains a balance between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels due to its lipid lowering property. It prevents plaque formation and helps to widen the blood vessels thereby managing blood pressure due to its antioxidant property.
Garlic also helps to boost immunity and increases the ability of the body to fight against various infections. It manages cold and cough symptoms by increasing the release of mucus from the respiratory tract. It improves bone health which might be due to its high calcium content. Garlic might also help improve memory issues by preventing brain cell damage caused by free radicals due to its antioxidant property. It also helps to improve athletic performance by increasing oxygen flow to tissues and muscles.
According to Ayurveda, taking Garlic paste along with milk helps to improve sexual health due to its Vajikarana (aphrodisiac) property. Drinking Garlic juice, preferably on an empty stomach in the morning, helps in weight loss. Swallowing a raw Garlic clove in the morning is an age old remedy for managing cholesterol levels.
Garlic helps to manage skin disorders like infections and acne due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties. Garlic oil can be applied to the skin for managing ringworm, warts as well as parasites. Applying hair pack made from Garlic paste and honey promotes hair growth and removes excessive dryness due to its Snigdha (oily) property.
It should be noted that eating raw Garlic causes bad breath. So it is advisable to brush your teeth or eat some mint to get rid of the bad breath after consuming raw Garlic.