Black garlic is all over the internet. Here’s what you need to know about it
We all know about garlic and that’s no news. But not a lot of us know about black garlic. Yes, something like that really exists. It looks like what you just imagined – garlic that is black in colour and also something that you’d feel like throwing away. The interesting bit is that this garlic is useful in many of the countries to enhance the taste of the food. A lot of high-end restaurants also make use of black garlic.
Black garlic is nothing but the regular white garlic turned black due to fermentation. It loses its pungent smell and taste, but not the nutritional value. This garlic is used in both savoury and sweet dishes in countries like South Korea, Japan and Thailand. It is quite known in almost all of Asia and also in some parts of the US.
So, what can black garlic do for your health?
Garlic is considered to be healthy because of its anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.
Black garlic has some extremely positive effects on memory and nerve system. Further, it improves your cognitive impairment and helps prevent neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity. Moreover, it is also helpful when it comes to keeping your liver healthy.
The level of S-allyl cysteine (SAC) in black garlic is higher as compared to its fresh counterpart. This helps you stay protected against oxidative stress and inflammation.
We’re not the only ones saying that black garlic is the healthy herb you need, science backs us up. As per a study published in IntechOpen, exercising and consuming black garlic can help decrease visceral fat, epididymal fat, and liver weight.
There are some very concrete, long-term benefits for your health if you include black garlic in your diet on a regular basis. Here are some of them:
1. It sharpens your brain
High antioxidant levels in black garlic may help improve brain health and keep your memory sharp. Antioxidants reduce free radical damage and oxidative stress that may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The anti-inflammatory properties of the herb may protect against cognitive decline.
2. It improves heart function
Black garlic improves blood circulation, cardiac function, and reduces heart failure diagnoses. As per a review published in Frontiers in Physiology, researchers have found that black garlic may also protect you against diabetes.
Black garlic contains about five times more polyphenols as compared to its counterpart, fresh garlic, which makes it more effective at protecting your heart from free radical damage.
3. It can prevent cancer
Black garlic may help reduce the growth of colon c-a-n-c-e-r cells and leukemia cells. The antioxidant compounds in the herb make them one of the best c-a-n-c-e-r-fighting foods.
As per a study published in the journal Biomedical Reports, aged black garlic extract may be effective in the prevention and treatment of colon c-a-n-c-e-r in humans.
How to make black garlic at home?
One can make black garlic at home without much hassle. All you need to do is to keep fresh garlic at a temperature of 60 degrees celsius for about two to three weeks.
Add a few bulbs of garlic in a rice cooker and set the temperature option to warm. After two days, open it to let excess moisture release. Move the garlic around with the help of a spoon or ladle.
After letting it sit unattended for a couple of weeks, you will see each bulb starts getting peeled by itself. The garlic cloves turn completely black.
Once ready, it can be used in salads and delicacies while allowing people to reap the health benefits of black garlic!
References: healthshots.com, misskyra.com
