Ten Foods to Kick a Cold and Boost Your Immunity
Fight Colds with What You Eat
Garlic
Garlic may be the wunderkind of the plant world, its properties ranging from medicinal to mystical to culinary. Ancient Egyptians considered garlic holy and used it as currency. Indeed, the pungent smell is a small price to pay for the health benefits garlic can confer.
"Garlic has been a miracle food for everything," Neville said.
Much of the immune-boosting properties of garlic come from its sulfur-containing compounds, which also give the bulb its aroma, particularly one called allicin. These compounds are effective against bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. They also enhance the immune system and have anti-tumor and antioxidant features, which help guard cells from everyday wear and tear.
Americans are growing increasingly aware of the powerful properties of garlic. According to an article in the Journal of Nutrition, garlic is the second most used supplement in the United States.
In some parts of the world, particularly the Balkans, garlic is considered so powerful it is thought to guard against vampires and witches. In 1994, a group of scientists decided to test the protective effect of garlic against vampires using leeches as a stand-in for the blood-sucking monsters. They offered their leeches two arms, one bare and the other covered in a garlic paste.
Unfortunately, in two out of three cases the leeches showed an obvious preference to the garlicky arm, attaching to it in 14.9 seconds, compared to 44.9 seconds for the bare arm. In an article published in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, the researchers concluded that garlic may attract vampires rather than repel them and that restrictions on garlic use might be considered in order to avoid Balkan-like developments in Norway.
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