Black Garlic — All you need to know
Add garlic to any scenario (minus a first date) and you’re usually onto a winner. Dating faux pas (chewing parsley afterwards is a natural breath freshener FYI) and culinary magic aside, garlic has got some pretty good health benefits too. So, next time you’re tucking into a garlic-infused dish, you’ve got reason to feel extra chuffed.
But have you ever heard of aged black garlic? Not a culinary experiment that’s been left in the oven too long, but your next favourite health kick. Let’s take a look at what black garlic has to offer and why this twist on the popular culinary spice really packs a punch.
Garlic — A Brief History
China accounts for 80% of the world’s garlic growth, so it’s no surprise it’s been used there for its culinary and medicinal properties for thousands of years. And of course, it’s incredibly popular in global cuisine from Southeast Asian and Chinese cooking to Middle Eastern and Arabic, North African and Latin American dishes.
Originating from the liliaceae family, garlic’s one of the oldest cultivated plants around. And garlic remedies have always been popular throughout history. It was used as an antiseptic to treat wounds during World War 1 in order to prevent gangrene, and has been used to combat cholera and tuberculosis outbreaks too.
It’s said that the Egyptian slaves that built the pyramids were given garlic to keep them strong, healthy and give them the boost needed to finish the colossal task ahead of them — a powerful endorsement indeed!
Garlic’s a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and iron, but the most health boosting property is the active ingredient allicin. Although, it’s thought that cooking garlic can actually prevent the stimulation of medicinal properties.
What is Black Garlic?
Black garlic is essentially white garlic that’s been fermented and aged until the cloves turn black. Once aged, a compound called melanoidin becomes active and the garlic develops a silky-smooth black texture.
The fermentation process takes several months, in a controlled humid temperature. Black garlic can be used in various recipes, from juices to sauces and marinades. Its sweet taste lends itself to dessert dishes too, like black garlic brownies or even ice-cream.
Are there more benefits to black garlic?
Well, yes. The allicin — which gives the garlic its smell and taste — increases during the fermentation process, causing a spike in unusually high active allicin levels.
Not only that, it’s richer in amino acids and antioxidants. The S-Allyl Cysteine (SAC) that’s produced during the fermentation process and occurs in high concentrations, makes black garlic even more effective in the absorption of allicin in the body. Ultimately, black garlic can enhance the health benefits of traditional white garlic.
What are the health benefits of all this allicin?
Allicin functions mainly as a defense mechanism, to protect it against pathogens and fungi. It’s these antiviral and anti-fungal qualities that make allicin a popular element in health treatments. Allicin also fights skin infections, limits the chance of you catching a cold, reduces blood pressure and detoxifies the body. It’s an amazing source of antioxidants and may even improve bone health too. Pretty impressive right?
Let’s talk about the Increase in Cardio-Vascular Disease
Heart and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK, which is almost 170,000 deaths per year and 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to cardiovascular conditions.
It’s thought that cardiovascular issues alongside poor heart and artery health can also contribute to various other medical conditions. Heart failure is clearly a pressing concern, as well as kidney disease, arterial disease, and vascular dementia.
Common contributing factors to cardiovascular problems include:
- Smoking and Alcohol
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol levels
- Being physically inactive
- Being overweight or obese
- Diabetes
- Family history of heart disease
- Age
- Stress
Age and family history aside, tackling any one of the factors we’ve mentioned can bring health benefits and improve your chances of avoiding cardiovascular conditions.
Black Garlic & Cardiovascular Health
We’ve talked about black aged garlic and the advantages of allicin in particular, but how can you get your hands on some of your own black garlic?
It’s possible to make your own black garlic at home, but the process is far from easy. It takes a lot of time and dedication to produce the optimal controlled temperatures needed and even when you’ve finished the fermentation process, there’s no guarantee you’ve produced aged black garlic that has the specific health benefits you’re after.
Enter our Black Garlic supplement. The health benefits are endless; for a start, it’s ten times more effective than standard raw garlic, completely odourless and free of side-effects. As it’s made from 100% natural ingredients, it can be taken alongside any other medicines you might be taking for cardiovascular conditions. Your gut, heart and immune health can all improve with a safe natural food-based supplement.
Whatsmore, each of our Black Garlic capsules has the highest standardised strength of S-Allyl Cysteine (SAC) at 3%, so it can help to maintain healthy blood pressure by protecting your cardiovascular system and circulation. It also contains the highest strength, premium-grade fermented black garlic extract, combined with vitamins D.
How are the Black Garlic supplements made?
The fermentation process goes on for several months, until the allicin has converted to bioactives SAC. Every element of black garlic is then extracted, concentrated, filtered and tested so that we can make sure each black garlic achieves the minimum concentration of SAC and gallic acid actives, because we know this is what makes our supplement so effective.
Our factory in Sussex takes the concentrated powdered aged black garlic extract and combines it with vitamin D. Then, we test it again to ensure it’s always ten times more effective than standard raw garlic.
How much Black Garlic should you eat per day?
It’s so easy to incorporate our handy odourless Black Garlic capsules into your daily routine. We recommend taking one capsule each day with food for at least seven days for cardiovascular and immune protection.
If you suffer with bad circulation, we recommend taking two capsules per day with food for five days, before and after travel.
So there you have it. Garlic is a wonder food and our Black Garlic makes it super easy to get all that goodness into your body every day.
Happy garlic-ing!
If you need any advice on a current health concern or want to chat with us about staying healthy this season, you can call us on (+44) 01483 685630 Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm for advice. One of our friendly Pharmacists will be happy to help.
