Eating garlic regularly can deter artery-clogging, and more remarkably, even reverse the damage, helping heal your arteries, says Arun Bordia, a cardiologist at Tagore Medical College in India. Dr. Bordia, a pioneering garlic researcher, discovered that feeding garlic to rabbits with 80 percent arterial blockage reduced the degree of blockage, partially restoring the arteries to health.

He then tested garlic on a group of 432 heart-disease patients, most recovering from heart attacks. Half the group are two or three fresh raw or cooked garlic cloves every day for three years. They squeezed the garlic into juice, put in in milk as a “morning tonic” or ate it boiled or minced. The other half ate no garlic. After the first year, there was no difference in the rate of heart attacks between the groups.

In the second year, however, deaths among the garlic eaters dropped by 50 percent and in the third year, they sank 66 percent! Nonfatal heart attacks also declined 30 percent the second year and 60 percent the third year. Further, blood pressure and blood cholesterol in the garlic eaters fell about 10 percent. Garlic eaters also had fewer attacks of angina – chest pain. There were no significant cardiovascular changes in the non-garlic eaters.

Dr. Bordia suggests that, over time, steady infusions of garlic both wash away some of the arterial plaque and prevent future damage. Garlic’ main weapon is probably a conglomeration of antioxidants. Garlic is said to possess at least 15 different antioxidants that may neutralize artery-destroying agents.

Note: Cooked garlic was as effective as raw garlic in warding off heart attacks and deaths, according to Dr Bordia.

A Garlic Bonus: The garlic also produced unexpected health benefits. Dr. Bordia said the garlic eaters reported fewer joint pains, body aches and asthmatic tendencies; more vigor, energy and libido; and a better appetite. Particularly impressive was the diminished joint pain in those with osteoarthritis. Five percent dropped out of the study, however, complaining of burning urine, bleeding piles, flatulence and irritability. Eating raw garlic elicited more complaints than eating it cooked.

Source: Food – Your Miracle Medicine