Garlic and ginger are both known individually for their incredible medicinal properties and immense benefits. Combining them in a form of a paste (a staple of South Asian cuisine) thus, optimizes not only flavor, but health benefits as well. Here are just a few health benefits of ginger garlic paste.
1. Ginger Garlic Paste Helps Fight Cancer
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, Garlic has incredible cancer preventing properties. In their laboratory studies, certain chemical components of garlic were shown to slow or inhibit the growth of tumors in stomach, bladder, colon and prostate tissue. One component known as diallyl sulfide, has proven highly effective in preventing cancers of the skin, colon, and lungs.
2. Anti-Inflammatory Uses
Both garlic and ginger are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger contains gingerols which are potent anti-inflammatory agents which contribute to its ability to relieve conditions such as general muscular discomfort, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and chronic inflammatory disease. And, according to World’s Healthiest Foods, several compounds in garlic have been closely associated with its anti-inflammatory activity in our circulatory system.
3. Treats Upset Stomach and Motion Sickness
Ginger has been used for thousands of years to treat digestive ailments. It has a carminative effect, allowing it to help dispel nausea by breaking up and expelling intestinal gas. Ginger is known to relieve nausea and vomiting after surgery, in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and even in pregnant women suffering from morning sickness.
4. Ginger Garlic Paste Prevents Heart Disease
Garlic is used to treat many conditions related to the heart and circulatory system. These conditions include high blood pressure, low blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. It can work as a blood thinner, making it effective at preventing heart attacks and strokes. By reducing the buildup of plaque on the artery walls, garlic is not only able to prevent heart disease, but also reduce some of its effects. The polysulfides in garlic promote the widening of blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure.
5. Relieve Menstrual Pain
According to some studies, ginger is just as effective as common painkillers in relieving menstrual pain.
6. Preventing colds and flu
With its anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antimicrobial properties, garlic forms a triple protectant from infectious diseases. Ginger garlic paste is known to boost the immune system, thereby helping your body combat diseases, and increasing its speed of recovery.
7. Improve Diabetes
Gingerols in ginger are known to enhance insulin sensitivity, thereby naturally improving diabetes. It is also thought to suppress sorbitol accumulation in human blood calls and protect against certain diabetic complications like diabetic retinopathy—the most common cause of vision loss in diabetic patients.
Eating garlic has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels and decrease the effects of some diabetes complications.
8. Improve Brain Function and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
Ginger has traditionally been used to prevent memory loss and dementia. It is now known to enhance a wide variety of cognitive functions, in addition to memory. It can improve your ability to focus, de-stress, sleep, and boost your mood. The antioxidants in ginger garlic paste can also help support the body’s protection mechanisms against oxidative damage that may lead to cognitive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.