Characteristics and functions of garlic. Garlic is a kind of seasoning, which is generally only used for cooking. However, it has many health functions, such as sterilization, cancer prevention and cough. It is a pure natural health food. Let's take a look at the characteristics and functions of garlic.
Characteristics and functions of garlic 1 nutritional characteristics of garlic
"Garlic is a treasure, and it is good for your health if you eat it often" is an old saying that garlic has a good health care effect on our human body. Garlic is a common condiment in our daily life, in which sulfur-containing organic compounds are very important bioactive substances, which mainly exist in leaf bases and leaves, and the main forms are S- alkyl (alkenyl) cysteine sulfoxide and γ-glutamyl glycine.
They account for more than 70% of sulfur-containing organic compounds in garlic, and they have different chemical structures with different alkyl (alkene) groups. The highest content is S- allyl -L- cysteine sulfoxide (alliin), while the lower content is S- propenyl -L- cysteine sulfoxide (isolalliin) and S- methyl -L- cysteine sulfoxide (methylalliin). Among them, the content of alliin accounts for more than 85% of alliin, and they are all precursors of thiosulfinate (allicin).
Other nutritional components of garlic
Glycosides
There are many glycosides in garlic, mainly glucosinolates, flavonoid glycosides, steroid glycosides and a small amount of amino acid glycosides. Saponins may be another active ingredient in garlic besides organic sulfide, which has the functions of antibacterial, antioxidant damage, cholesterol reduction, platelet aggregation resistance and fibrinolytic activity improvement.
carbohydrate
Sugar in garlic accounts for about 76.7% of dry weight, mainly fructan, which has many biological activities, such as enhancing immunity, antivirus, lowering blood sugar and antioxidation.
Amino acids
Garlic contains two kinds of amino acids. One kind of amino acid can form protein, which is a common amino acid, including many amino acids needed by human body, such as cysteine, histidine, lysine, alanine, threonine, glutamic acid, arginine, etc. The other is protein, also known as non-protein amino acids, which mainly contains alliin, which is a unique sulfur-containing amino acid in garlic and a precursor of allicin. After garlic is crushed, alliinase can produce a series of sulfur-containing compounds such as allicin. The specific reaction process has been introduced earlier.
The chemical name of alliin is S- allyl -L- cysteine sulfoxide, which is soluble in water and insoluble in anhydrous ethanol, chloroform, acetone, ether and benzene. Crystallizing with dilute acetone or ethanol to obtain white crystals; It has optical rotation, and its optical rotation in water is [α] d =+63.5; Isoelectric point pI=4.86；; The molecular weight is 177.22.
Compared with other Allium plants, the alliin content in garlic is the highest, and the alliin content in garlic varies from region to region, ranging from 0.5% to 2%. Allicin has the following physiological functions: 1. Lowering blood lipid and blood sugar; 2. Immune function; 3. Anti-platelet aggregation; 4. Bacteriostasis; 5. Anti-tumor.
Enzymes
Allinase (allinase for short) is the most important enzyme in garlic, which consists of six pyridoxal phosphates and two subunits. Allinase can hydrolyze allicin into allicin, and its suitable temperature is 37℃, and its optimal pH value is 5 ~ 8. It exists in the vacuole of cells. After garlic tissue is broken, through many complicated reactions, a series of sulfur-containing compounds, the main active components in garlic, are generated.
In addition, there are hydrolase, invertase, polyfructosidase and superoxide dismutase in garlic. Garlic is one of the natural plants rich in superoxide dismutase (SOD). The SOD content in garlic is as high as 17.6 mg/ 100g, which has anti-radiation and anti-oxidation functions and has important application value.
microelement
Garlic contains a lot of trace elements such as iron, phosphorus, zinc, germanium and selenium. Among them, organic germanium has attracted much attention as one of the anticancer substances. The so-called "edible oxygen" organic germanium can quickly absorb oxygen and transport it to the liver, heart, bone marrow and other places through blood, while the content of organic germanium in garlic is as high as 75.4 mg/ 100g, which is three times that of organic germanium in ginseng. Therefore, garlic is a low-cost source of organic germanium, which can supplement trace elements germanium and various amino acids in human body if eaten frequently.
Organic selenium, as a rare element and a trace element necessary for human body, is another functional component of garlic. The selenium content of fresh garlic is as high as 27.6 μg/ 100g, which is the highest among vegetables, and it is a natural selenium-enriched plant. Therefore, selenium-enriched garlic has such functions as anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-lipid, anti-atherosclerosis and strong anti-aging, anti-tumor and anti-tumor functions.
How to eat garlic?
Garlic can be eaten raw and cooked, but according to the particularity of its ingredients, it is generally recommended to eat raw, but it is not suitable to get up in the morning or eat on an empty stomach, and it is ok to eat two or three cloves a day or every other day. It is best to pound it into mud and leave it indoors exposed to the air for about a quarter of an hour.
Let allicin be fully produced, that is, allicin and alliinase are fully oxidized and interacted in the air, so that its sterilization and detoxification effect is the best. However, raw garlic should not be eaten in excess. Too much garlic will strongly stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing discomfort such as stomach pain and gastric burning, and even other diseases in severe cases.
Although garlic has many benefits to human body, we should pay attention to some details when eating it.
(1) Eating garlic should not be excessive. The more garlic, the better, because the allicin in it has a considerable stimulating effect on the gastric mucosa, and it is appropriate to eat about 3 cloves a day. Excessive consumption will lead to gastrointestinal discomfort. Especially those with weak spleen and stomach and poor gastrointestinal function, try to avoid eating raw, and can be mashed and eaten with vinegar.
(2) Eating garlic should be adapted to the season. Eating garlic depends on the season. Summer weather is hot and humid, and eating garlic in moderation can remove dampness and eliminate yin and evil. The climate is dry in autumn and winter. Eat garlic in moderation to avoid getting angry.
(3) Eating garlic varies from person to person. Those with spleen and stomach deficiency and weakness should try to eat cooked garlic to avoid the stimulation of raw garlic to the human body. You can eat cooked garlic, pickled vinegar garlic or sugar garlic when cooking. Don't drink tea immediately after eating garlic, otherwise it will easily cause stomach cramps, indigestion and other discomfort.
Characteristics and Functions of Garlic 2. Health-keeping Effects of Garlic
1, prevention and treatment of tumor and cancer
The sulfur-containing compounds in garlic can promote the intestinal production of an enzyme or a substance called allicin, and eliminate the risk of intestinal tumors caused by substances in the intestine by enhancing the immune ability of the body, blocking the formation of lipid peroxidation and resisting mutation.
Elements such as germanium and selenium in garlic can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and cancer cells. Among the plants with the most anticancer potential in the world, garlic ranks first.
2. Anti-aging effect
Some ingredients in garlic have antioxidant and anti-aging properties similar to those of vitamin E and vitamin C.
3. Anti-fatigue effect
Some people have found that pork is one of the foods rich in vitamin B 1, and the combination of vitamin B 1 and allicin contained in garlic can play a good role in eliminating fatigue and restoring physical strength.
4. Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
Garlic can prevent fat deposition in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, induce fat metabolism in tissues, significantly increase fibrinolytic activity, lower cholesterol, inhibit platelet aggregation, reduce plasma concentration, increase the dilation of arterioles, promote vasodilation, regulate blood pressure, and increase vascular permeability, thus inhibiting the formation of thrombus and preventing arteriosclerosis.
Eating 2~3 cloves of garlic every day is the best and easiest way to lower blood pressure. Garlic can help maintain an appropriate amount of an enzyme in the body and avoid hypertension.
5, strong sterilization
Garlic has the strongest antibacterial effect among natural plants found at present. After it enters the human body, it can react with cystine of bacteria to produce crystalline precipitate, which destroys sulfhydryl groups in thioamino organisms necessary for bacteria, and makes the metabolism of bacteria disordered, so that it cannot reproduce and grow.
In addition, it can kill many pathogenic fungi and parasites such as hookworm, pinworm and trichomonas. However, it should be noted that allicin is easily destroyed at high temperature and loses its bactericidal effect.
6. Improve sugar metabolism.
Studies have confirmed that eating raw garlic can improve the glucose tolerance of normal people, at the same time, it can also promote the secretion of insulin and increase the utilization of glucose by tissues and cells, thus reducing the blood sugar level.
7. Anti-allergic effect
Eating garlic raw every day can reduce the degree of allergic reactions, especially those caused by temperature changes. The best way is to start eating garlic raw a few weeks before the allergy season.
8, detoxification, prevention of gastrointestinal diseases.
Garlic can effectively inhibit and kill helicobacter pylori and other bacterial viruses that cause gastrointestinal diseases, remove toxic substances from the stomach, stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, promote appetite and accelerate digestion.
9. Reduce blood sugar and prevent diabetes.
Garlic can promote the secretion of insulin, increase the absorption of glucose by tissues and cells, improve the glucose tolerance of human body, rapidly reduce the blood sugar level in the body, and kill various germs that induce diabetes due to infection, thus effectively preventing and treating diabetes.
10, protect liver function
Selenium, a trace element in garlic, can protect the liver by participating in the aerobic metabolism of blood, removing toxins and reducing the detoxification burden of the liver.
1 1, prevent colds
Garlic contains a capsaicin called "propylene sulfide", which has a good killing effect on pathogenic bacteria and parasites, and can prevent colds and relieve cold symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and stuffy nose.
Nutritional value of garlic
Garlic contains about 0.2% volatile oil, and the main component in the oil is allicin, which has bactericidal effect and is produced by the hydrolysis of alliin contained in garlic by alliinase. It also contains a variety of sulfide compounds composed of allyl, propyl and methyl.
Edible method of garlic
eat sth raw
Because garlic loses its magical effect quickly when it is hot. It is best to leave the crushed garlic for 10~ 15 minutes, and the best effect is to eat it after allicin is completely produced.
One thing to note is that garlic should not be eaten on an empty stomach, because garlic is highly irritating and corrosive. It will cause stomach upset.
Should not eat more.
It will affect the absorption of vitamin B, which will stimulate the eyes. Cause blepharitis and conjunctivitis.
Therefore, it is best to eat garlic once a day or once every other day, with 3 petals each time.
If you are afraid that your mouth will smell bad after eating garlic. You can have a cup of coffee, milk or green tea after eating garlic, which can clear your breath.
Five types of people should not eat garlic raw.
1, patients with eye diseases
The ancients said: "garlic cures all diseases only with one eye." Eating garlic in large quantities for a long time is harmful to the eyes.
Ji Kang said in "On Health Preservation" that "the pungent meat is harmful to the eyes", and garlic is the most pungent, and it is clear and clear, and it is easy to cause eye damage.
Therefore, we should pay attention not to eat too much garlic, especially people with eye diseases, and must avoid spicy food during treatment.
2, weak and hot
The ancients believed that eating more garlic would dissipate people's qi and blood, and "Materia Medica from the New" recorded that "garlic is pungent and toxic, causing phlegm and burning, dispersing qi and consuming blood, and people who are weak and hot should not touch their lips". Therefore, people with poor health and weak qi and blood should pay attention.
3. Patients with liver disease
Many people use garlic to prevent hepatitis, and even some people still eat garlic every day after suffering from hepatitis. This is all wrong.
"Compendium of Materia Medica" records that garlic "damages the liver and eyes for a long time". Garlic is hot and can help fire. It is pungent and pungent. If people with internal fire in the liver eat it, it will be more prosperous, and it will certainly cause damage after a long time.
4, spleen deficiency diarrhea patients
Raw garlic is very irritating. Usually, eating less can promote digestion. However, if you eat garlic when you suffer from non-bacterial enteritis or diarrhea, strong stimulation will aggravate congestion and edema of intestinal mucosa, promote exudation and worsen the condition.
5, seriously ill people eat carefully.
Garlic hair, the so-called hair, refers to foods that are particularly easy to induce certain diseases or aggravate the diseases that have already occurred.
Eating spicy food such as garlic and pepper is likely to have obvious side effects for people who are seriously ill or taking medicine, which may not only cause old diseases, but also make drugs ineffective or have a chain reaction with drugs, affecting their health.
Characteristics and functions of garlic 3. Precautions for garlic consumption
(1) How to eat garlic?
Garlic should be eaten raw.
Edible garlic is best mashed into mud, not cut into pieces with a knife. And first put10 ~15 minutes, let alliin and alliinase combine in the air to produce allicin before eating.
Pay attention to the amount of garlic
The more garlic you eat, the better. Eating too much garlic will affect the absorption of vitamin B. Eating a lot of garlic will also stimulate the eyes and easily cause blepharitis and conjunctivitis. Besides, garlic should not be eaten on an empty stomach. Patients with gastric ulcer and those suffering from headache, cough and toothache should not eat garlic. Just 1 time every day or 1 time every other day, and take 2 ~ 3 capsules each time.
(2) What are the adverse effects of eating garlic?
Although there are so many research reports that garlic is beneficial to human body, all substances should be taken in moderation to help the body, while excessive consumption will harm the body, so enough is enough.
Studies have reported that long-term use of garlic will destroy red blood cells and cause anemia.
People with night sweats due to yin deficiency and hyperactive liver had better eat less garlic, otherwise they will easily get angry.
Need to be reminded that never drink tea after eating garlic, it is easy to cause stomach pain.
Those who have yin deficiency and fire, eyes and mouth diseases are forbidden to eat; Patients with gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, liver disease and excessive fire due to yin deficiency are contraindicated; Patients with eye diseases should abstain from garlic and other irritating foods during treatment, otherwise the curative effect will be affected; At the same time, garlic should not be eaten too much, which is easy to cause hot work, blood consumption and visual impairment.
(3) Can garlic heads be eaten after germination?
After the garlic head is harvested, the dormancy period is generally 2 ~ 3 months. After the dormancy period, at a suitable temperature, garlic heads will germinate and grow leaves quickly, consuming nutrients in the stems, leading to bulb atrophy, shriveled, greatly reduced edible value and even rotted.
Therefore, although the sprouted garlic head can be eaten, its edible value will be greatly reduced due to its nutritional consumption. Garlic is a popular vegetable, and its edible parts include green garlic, garlic moss, garlic cloves, etc. Both green garlic and garlic moss garlic cloves have a special pungent odor, and its effective component is allicin, and it also contains pyruvate and ammonia, that is,
From the germination of garlic to the re-growth of garlic, the nutrients in the body do not produce toxic substances during the transformation of each growth stage. The sprouting of garlic head is just another form of edible product formed by garlic head using its own stored nutrients under suitable external conditions. Therefore, as long as the garlic head is discolored, moldy and rotten, it can be eaten even if it sprouts, and there is no harm in eating it, but it tastes slightly worse.