Health & Beauty

Affectionately called the stinking rose, garlic is full of goodness

Garlic has numerous therapeutic benefits while having a characteristically pungent odour (great for repelling mosquitos), garlic (bursting with antioxidants) provides your immune system with the boost it needs to keep colds away.

Given that antioxidants can kill the bacteria that are sometimes a cause of acne, try rubbing on a sliced clove of raw garlic on your pimple next time.

Garlic has also been shown to be an anti-inflammatory and have anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities due to its vitamin C content, not to mention anti-fungal properties as well! Give those itchy feet a soak in garlic water to cut the fungus that causes athlete’s foot.

Not only have studies found that garlic lowers blood pressure, but it also may reduce plaque formation in blood vessels and help to lower cholesterol.

An old folk remedy for splinters involves placing a slice of garlic over the splinter, then securing it to your skin with tape or a bandage. Out it should pop!

The vitamin B6 found in garlic can also assist with mood swings. And if you’re worried about having “garlic breath”, just munch on a bunch of parsley leaves to get rid of the smell.

There are also many garlic salad ideas on the Love My Salad website including Ralph Steegh’s ‘Tomato salad with mozzarella, garlic and basil’ or try 'Roger's garlic soup'.

Join Louise on a journey through the seasons with salad ingredients, old traditions and popular, exotic or unusual vegetables. From Paddock to Plate founder, author, food writer, radio journalist & yoga teacher.