Spirulina For Nutrition

Garlic and Whole Spirulina.

Saponins are fatty acids, which break down the sulphoids from digested raw garlic and onions. It is the sulphoids that cause the bad odour. This is such an exciting development, that I’ll say a few more words about it, because I know all the problems of a raw garlic eater. Scientific research has proven the great healing properties of raw garlic. No one challenges these claims, which go back to biblical times. (In 1939 garlic was almost listed as an antibiotic by the Food and Drugs Administration of USA, but pharmaceutical companies had new antibiotic drugs, which kill good and bad bacteria alike, and quashed the recommendation. Those new anti-biotics did great job for a while, but also opened a Pandora’s box of problems, most of which we don’t even know yet about. It took FDA some 50 years to unofficially admit, that they made a blunder. (The power of money is certainly much greater than the wisdom and experience of generations on natural healers.) Import of 6,500 tonnes of fresh garlic in 1997 and thousands of tonnes grown in back yards and on local farms show garlic’s popularity in Australia. If it wasn’t for the sweat and breath odour, the use would be much greater, judging by the quantities of odourless garlic sold here every year – all this in spite of the fact that processing will greatly reduce its potency. (Effectiveness of odourless garlic is proportionally reduced by odour reduction.) Among naturopaths fresh garlic is one of the most popular remedies for a wide range of maladies.

The health benefactor in garlic is allicin. It is produced by the reaction of alliin and enzyme alliinase. This reaction takes place only when the cells of fresh garlic are crushed either by chewing, or in a garlic press. The bad odour and the cholesterol lowering effect of garlic are attributed to this allicin.

But the health benefits of eating raw garlic come at a price, which is the terrible odour. For some the price is much too high, as one man said: “I am a social creature, I am married, I have a family, I work, I mingle with people. If I eat raw garlic, my marriage will be ruined, I will lose my job, and won’t be able to come within six feet of anyone! It may be okay in Italy or Korea, but here, in the land of deodorants and mouth-washes, you don’t go around reeking of garlic.”

It all sounds so familiar. With my dinner I’d eat about half a head of raw garlic, but then my wife wouldn’t sleep in the same room with me, because the smell of garlic was so thick in the room. If I were sweating during the night, she would have to change the linen, because the garlic smell in the sweat would “contaminate” the linen. My children wouldn’t come close to me, next day. While driving to work my wife would keep the car window on her side open to let the garlic smell out. At work, everybody was keeping away from me at least three paces and giving me chewing gum. The man that I shared office with would take his things and work in another office, or would ask me to find some work outside. The production manager would talk to me only through open door.

We just can’t enjoy raw garlic and keep close friends as well. Since the day some brave caveman ate the first clove of garlic, mankind searched for something to kill the smelly breath and sweat of the garlic eater. So far the best thing found is parsley, but at the same time it is stressed that it doesn’t work well. But now, there is finally something, that lets people enjoy eating all the raw garlic and onions they want and keep their close friends as well.

However, there is a small catch to it. To be really effective, about six spirulina tablets daily should be taken not so much for general well being, but mainly to keep up the levels of saponins in the blood. And it won’t kill the odour that comes from the garlic juices, which seeped into the lining of the mouth and throat. That will clear up in about two hours.

Many people take odourless garlic for health benefits, but it is not of much use to those who love the taste of fresh garlic and there are hordes of them. They would love to eat more raw garlic, but they have the same problem as outlined above. Now they can enjoy all the taste and health benefits of raw garlic and discover the amazing health benefits of Spirulina.