Garlic, which belongs to the lily and perennial herbaceous plants, has a unique spicy taste and is often used as a spice ingredient to add flavor and flavor to various dishes. In addition, its unique strong taste is excellent for removing fishy smells and odors from dishes made with meat and fish. In addition, under the influence of various sulfur compounds including allicin, selenium, scordidine, and various minerals and vitamins, it has various beneficial effects on the body and is known to help prevent adult diseases and cancer. Garlic, which has such excellent effects, is usually eaten in garlic barrels that grow underground. However, you can also consume green garlic, which is an unripe leaf stalk before the garlic cask becomes thick. Green garlic, which has a similar appearance to green onions, has a softer texture and less spicy taste than garlic, but has a sweet taste that comes from being sliced subtly. It can be lightly blanched and seasoned with various seasonings and eaten, or used as an ingredient in kimchi, stir-fry, and pickles. It is also one of the seasonal delicacies of spring that can be eaten whole for about a month in early spring. In addition, as it contains as high a content of various vitamins and minerals as garlic, it is known to be effective in helping to recover lost energy during the cold winter and boosting immunity. Now, let’s take a closer look at the various benefits of green garlic.
Various benefits of green garlic
1. Improving immunity
Green garlic is rich in allicin, a major ingredient in garlic’s medicinal properties. The powerful antibacterial and sterilizing action of this allicin component is excellent in eliminating various viruses, pathogens, and harmful bacteria introduced from the outside, and it is said to be effective in helping to enhance the immune function that protects our body.
In addition, due to the complex action of various vitamin components such as vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, which are abundantly contained in green garlic, and various inorganic components such as calcium and potassium, it has an excellent effect on enhancing the body’s immunity through excellent metabolic activity. is known to do.
2. Energy recovery
Green garlic has a high content ratio of various vitamins and minerals that play an essential role in supporting normal metabolism in the body, so it is said to have an excellent effect in relieving fatigue and restoring energy. In particular, in early spring, when green garlic is in season, the body becomes drowsy due to seasonal changes, and symptoms such as fatigue and drowsiness are easy to occur. By supplying essential nutrients through the intake of green garlic, it is said that it helps a lot in preventing spring fatigue and relieving fatigue that tends to occur in spring by reducing the symptoms of nutritional imbalance that cause spring fatigue.
3. Vascular health
Allicin, which is abundantly contained in green garlic, helps to improve blood flow by dilating blood vessels, and at the same time has a beneficial effect in regulating blood pressure. In addition, it is excellent in helping to reduce cholesterol levels, and it is also known to have a good effect in preventing blood vessel-related diseases such as arteriosclerosis by having the effect of dissolving clots, which are clots of blood that have hardened in blood vessels.
4. Diabetes improvement
Diabetes is a type of metabolic disease that causes various physical abnormalities when insulin secretion is insufficient or normal function is not achieved. The allicin component in green garlic, which is abundantly contained, is also excellent in helping the smooth secretion of insulin, which regulates blood sugar, and it is said that it is effective in preventing diabetes and alleviating symptoms by maintaining normal blood sugar levels.
5. Gastrointestinal health
The allicin component contained in green garlic promotes digestion and at the same time helps to adjust and stabilize the intestines, which is said to help a lot in overall health management of the stomach and intestines. In addition, due to the strong antibacterial action of allicin, it has the effect of inhibiting Helicobacter pylori, a risk factor for various stomach-related diseases, including gastric ulcer, so it is said to have an excellent effect in removing harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning. Other effects and how to choose
In addition to the various effects introduced above, green garlic has a high content of sulfide, which is said to help reduce the risk of cancer such as stomach cancer and lung cancer by inhibiting the occurrence and metastasis of cancer cells. In addition, the excellent antioxidants such as vitamin A and vitamin C contained in green garlic help to slow down the aging process of the skin by removing free radicals, which are known to be the main culprits of aging.
When choosing green garlic, it is recommended that the root part have a bright red color. It is said that if the stem is too thick, the texture may be tough due to the inner core. Also, you can wrap the purchased green garlic in newspaper and put it in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, or wash it and drain it, then cut it into appropriate size and store it in the refrigerator. Since green garlic often has a lot of soil between the leaves, it is said that it should be used after washing it thoroughly and cleanly.
