What Is Garlic Oil?

Garlic, scientifically called Allium sativum, is bursting with loads of culinary and medical benefits. It is antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral, hence a potent healing agent. Garlic is rich in selenium, sulfur, arginine, and loads of nutrients that make it stand out as a super nutritious vegetable.
Garlic is edible in various forms, and you can even make some oil from it by grinding and soaking its cloves in vegetable, or by steam distillation. Garlic oil has many benefits, some of which this article will discuss. Are you ready? Leggo!

17 Amazing Benefits of Garlic Oil

Treats Metabolic Disorders

Garlic oil contains enough antioxidants to treat metabolic disorders and ward off all its symptoms such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and some other conditions. Garlic oil also maximizes metabolic activity.

Relieves Headache

People have traditionally used garlic oil to treat headaches for many years. You too can, simply by consuming it or applying it to your temple. It relieves inflammation in the capillaries and temples, hence treats headaches and even migraines.

Treats Acne

Garlic oil is bursting with selenium, allicin, zinc, copper, and vitamin C, all of which improve skin health. Zinc regulates sebum production, hence combats acne. Garlic oil possesses anti-inflammatory qualities which relax the skin — applying a few drops on your face and leaving it for 10-15 minutes can give your skin a better look.

Boosts Immunity

Garlic oil is packed with immunity-boosting nutrients such as antioxidants, B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, and allicin. Regular consumption of garlic oil will enhance your immune health.

Prevents Obesity

Garlic oil enhances metabolism, hence burns fat and lowers cholesterol. The oil prevents obesity this way.

Controls Diabetes

Garlic oil is hypoglycemic in nature; hence it manages energy consumption and insulin production. It also increases metabolic activity and prevents unhealthy glucose levels that affect diabetics.

Relieves Toothache

The compound, allicin, found in garlic oil helps minimize tooth pain inflammation, reduces bacterial buildup and activities, and prevents tooth decay. To use garlic oil to treat toothache, soak a cotton ball in the oil, and apply it on the affected area(s).

Prevents Hair Loss

Nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and sulfur in garlic oil enhance hair growth and texture. These nutrients also treat scalp diseases. You may apply garlic oil on your hair and leave it all night, then wash it off with a mild shampoo to enjoy the hair benefits of garlic oil.

Treats Dandruff

Adding garlic oil in your shampoo and applying it regularly helps you treat dandruff. This is because garlic oil has antifungal properties that combat infections. What`s more? The sulfur content of garlic oil relieves irritated and inflamed skin, and through this, combats the itch that comes with dandruff.

Combats Infections

Allicin, an active compound in garlic oil, possesses antimicrobial properties, making it potent in combating various infections such as Escherichia coli, Giardia lamblia, Candida albicans, and many others.

Improves Respiratory Health

You can get rid of nasal congestion by inhaling garlic oil. The oil also eases allergic sensitivity and lowers asthmatic attacks.

Improves Digestion

Garlic oil combats constipation and gut inflammation due to its antioxidant content. It also aids digestion and stimulates peristaltic motion, hence reduces the risk of gastrointestinal cancers.

Treats Ear Infection

Garlic oil treats earaches and infections as a result of its antibacterial effects. To use the oil for this purpose, simply mix a few drops of it with custard and olive or coconut oil, then apply it to the infected area, or the part that aches.

Treats Cold Sores

Garlic oil possesses anti-inflammatory properties which make it potent at treating cold sores. You can apply the oil on cold sores using a cotton ball. Garlic oil reduces swelling and gives relief from pain.

Improves Exercise Endurance

Garlic oil enhances exercise tolerance by reducing heart rate when exercise gets to its peak. This improves endurance, especially for people who have coronary artery disease or other heart issues. Consuming garlic oil before exercising does this wonder.

Prevents Cognitive Decline

Garlic oil reduces the risk of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer`s disease and dementia as a result of its antioxidant properties.

Acts as a Mosquito Repellent

Are you surprised to see that garlic oil is also a mosquito repellant? Well, it actually is! Simply sprinkle a few drops of mildly heated garlic oil on a cotton pad, and rub it on your skin to keep mosquitoes away.

How to Make Garlic Oil

Requirements

• 1 head garlic
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Direction

• Smash and peel the cloves of garlic.
• Put in a medium pot, add the olive oil, and heat over medium-low.
• Let it cook for about 10 minutes, and reduce the heat to low if garlic begins to turn brown.
• After cooking, let it cool to room temperature.
• You may store garlic oil in an airtight container and refrigerate.
• To avoid bacterial infections, you should use up garlic oil within two weeks.

Garlic Oil Interactions and Side Effects

Garlic oil and all these listed below don`t go well together. Avoid using garlic oil when you use any of them.

• fish oil
• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• herbal/health supplements
• birth control pills
• cyclosporine
• chlorzoxazone
• theophylline
• delavirdine
• nevirapine
• saquinavir
• efavirenz
• alteplase
• clopidogrel
• dipyridamole
• ticlopidine
• urokinase

Also, people taking medications to treat any of these conditions should not take garlic oil without medical advice.

• HIV
• malaria
• tuberculosis
• anxiety
• depression
• asthma
• allergies
• cancer
• erectile dysfunction
• heartburn
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• heart disease
• migraine
• headaches
• psoriasis
• autoimmune disorders
• psychiatric disorder
• seizures

Allergic Reactions

Some people may experience allergic reactions such as swelling of the face, tongue, lips, or throat, difficulty breathing, redness or swelling on the skin, nosebleed or bleeding gums when they use garlic oil. Ensure you stop using the oil and see your doctor immediately you experience any of these.

18 Garlic Facts

• Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated crops.
• The majority of garlic grown in the United States comes from California.
• The city of Chicago is named after garlic: “Chicagaoua“, which was the Indian word for wild garlic.
• April 19th is National Garlic Day.
• There are over 300 varieties of garlic grown around the world.
• Fall is the best time to plant garlic.
• You can clear the smell of garlic from your fingers by running your hands under cold water while rubbing a stainless steel object.
• The fear of garlic is alliumphobia.
• In ancient Greece, brides carried bouquets of herbs and garlic, not flowers.
• Deepak Sharma Bajagain of Nepal holds the highest record of cloves eaten in a minute: he ate the 34 cloves of garlic in a minute.
• Firm, tight, heavy, dry bulbs are usually the best garlic to buy.
• The builders of the Great Pyramid in Egypt ate garlic, believing that it gave them strength and endurance.
• It takes leeches about 15 seconds to get attracted to a garlic-filled hand.
• During World War I, British soldiers applied garlic on wounds to heal faster.
• Garlic contains 17 amino acids. Amino acids are required for bodily functions and constitute 75% of the human body.
• In some parts of the world, people believe that garlic wards off evil.
• Some Buddhist traditions believe that garlic stimulates aggressive behavior and sexual desires, hence such traditions forbid it.
• Muslims are not allowed to go to mosques right after eating garlic, in accordance to some hadith.