Hi Susun,

I think I am addicted to garlic. I eat at least 2-3 raw cloves a day, usually on a gluten free bagel drizzled with olive oil or in a bowl of pasta. Can you suggest more ways to incorporate garlic into my diet? Also, what are some of the health benefits? Thank you!!

Susun’s response:

Garlic (Allium sativum), also known as the stinking rose, when consumed regularly has amazing health benefits. Garlic will help you improve cardiovascular health, prevent cancer, counter infections including anthrax, and find a safe source of phytoestrogens (great for menopausal women).

Garlic is a great friend to old hearts. Several cloves a day of fresh, raw garlic can lower blood pressure, reduce phospholipids and cholesterol, strengthen heart action, increase immune response, reduce platelet clumping and clotting (thus reducing strokes), and stabilize blood sugar levels.

If you don’t like raw garlic, then use powdered. A four-year study found women who ingested 900 mg (1/4 teaspoonful) of garlic powder daily had 18 percent less arterial plaque than those taking a placebo.

Garlic and its smelly relatives (onions, chives, and leeks) are hormone-rich plants that most women crave. Garlic is an excellent source of phytoestrogens; these hormone-like substances not only reduce cancer incidence, they help ease the menopausal passage.

An easy garlic tonic is made this way: Fill a glass jar with fresh garlic cloves, no need to peel them. Pour honey over all, until the jar is nearly full. Place on a plate and let sit for at least 24 hours before using. A spoonful is a dose. This tonic will keep at room temperature for a year.

Eat 1/2 clove of garlic a day and watch your blood pressure drop!

You can get the benefits of garlic by eating it in any food, fresh or powdered. Try this simple recipe for instant garlic bread: Mince garlic and spread on hot buttered toast. Here are some more of my favorite raw garlic dishes:

• Scrambled eggs topped with minced raw garlic
• Tomato sauce with chopped raw garlic added just before eating
• Yogurt cheese with minced raw garlic on whole wheat crackers
• Minced raw garlic on a baked potato
• Herb vinegar and minced raw garlic on cooked greens like dandelion, spinach, kale, collards, mustard, amaranth, or lamb’s quarters

Green blessings, Susun Weed

photos: Wise Woman Spiral © iStockphoto.com / Chuck Spidell