All about the benefits of black garlic

Black garlic's many benefits date back to ancient times. It's an excellent condiment and a real remedy. It helps prevent disease thanks to its organosulfur content and antioxidant activity..^{1, 2, 6}

History of garlic

First of all, raw garlic is without doubt one of the most widely used medicinal and culinary plants in the world, and also one of the most versatile. But its native land is Central Asia and the Middle East, and has been for 5,000 years. Its territory gradually spread to the Mediterranean, in particular to Egypt, and finally around the world..^{1, 2, 6}

Wild garlic and its medicinal properties

This is wild garlic*, a plant typical of the mixed maple groves of southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Aboriginals eagerly consumed its first sulphurous leaves to purge themselves of intestinal parasites from the less fresh meats of late winter. Its medicinal properties include antioxidant, depurative, fungicide, hypocholesterolemic, hypotensive, parasiticide, revulsive, tonic and vermifuge..³

* Wild garlic is a threatened or vulnerable native medicinal species..³

Where does garlic's aroma and flavour come from?

Garlic contains a number of active compounds that bring many health benefits. It belongs to the "Allium" family, which is characterized by a high content of several phytochemical sulfur compounds.

Sulfur compounds in garlic

During storage, the garlic bulb accumulates alliin, its main constituent. When the bulb is cut or crushed, an allinase enzyme is released, coming into contact with alliin and transforming it into allicin, a highly odoriferous molecule directly responsible for its strong odor. The same bulb is then transformed into a sulfur product.^{1, 4, 6}

Garlic as a protective ingredient

• Antimicrobial and antiviral properties
• Rich in antioxidants
• Helps prevent cardiovascular disease
• Calms hypertension
• Anti-cancer properties
• Antibacterial
• Deworming and antiparasitic

In short, eating raw garlic every day acts like a natural antibiotic. It's good for detoxifying your body, protecting you against infections and boosting your immune system..^{2, 6}

The benefits of black garlic

Black garlic or fermented garlic is native to Asia. Black garlic is made from white garlic. It is then aged to create a black, candied clove with a particularly mild taste that enhances dishes deliciously. Several theories explain that when garlic was first created, it was fermented in clay pots in the heat of the summer sun. This preparation of black garlic was ready just in time for winter, a season more prone to viruses..^{4, 5, 7}

The Living Alchemy company uses an exceptional fermentation process to naturally age garlic bulbs over a long period of time, increasing nutrients and perfecting active substances for maximum absorption while softening odor and taste. The Living Alchemy product offers an organosulfur compound (S-Allyl cysteine) twice as high and stable as white garlic (allicin).⁴

Living Alchemy's Black Garlic

Living Black Garlic from Living Alchemy is a natural supplement that combines organic fermented black garlic with cayenne and hawthorn.

Approved benefits

• Supports cardiovascular health
• Improves circulation
• Reduces blood lipid levels (hyperlipidemia)
• Relieves symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections and catarrhal conditions such as nasal congestion and excess mucus.
• Regulates blood glucose⁴

Preparing live black garlic

This transformation from white to black garlic from Living Alchemy is a lengthy 90-day fermentation process.

First, we start with whole white garlic, which is subjected to slow heat and temperature (130-160°F) and high humidity (approx. 70-90%). After 30 days, the cloves turn from white to black. This is the natural, time-consuming enzymatic activation known as the "Maillard reaction" (the chemical reaction of sugars and amino acids under the effect of heat, which gives garlic its brown color and transforms its flavor). 

At 60 days, enzymes break down and polyphenols (antioxidants) increase. At 90 days, the product is stable, powerful and rich in antioxidants, with a beautiful color and pleasant taste and texture..^{5, 6, 7}

This long manufacturing process increases antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity.

Added benefits of cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper is undoubtedly one of the most widely used chillies in the world, and it's thanks to it that it's possible to add spiciness to a dish without changing its flavour.

It belongs to the Solanaceae family, along with eggplant, tomato, chili pepper, potato and others.

It's its active constituent, capsaicin, that provides its many benefits. For example, people in the tropics have discovered that capsaicin enables the body to better withstand the heat of the tropics. It also contains vitamin E and carotenoids..^{8, 10}

Other benefits:

• Improves peripheral circulation
• Stimulates digestion
• Helps people with heart problems
• Relieves chronic pain
• Soothes sore throats, headaches, toothaches, etc.
• Helps control weight.^{8, 10}

Added benefits of hawthorn

Hawthorn is a fairly dense, vigorous, thorny shrub with smooth, pale-gray bark that turns brown and rough with age. Herbalists use the leaves as well as the flowers, berries and bark. Here, we'll be talking about hawthorn berries.

The hawthorn fruit (C. Pinnatifida) contains over 150 compounds, including flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, lignans, hydroxycinnamic acids, organic acids and nitrogen-containing compounds..^{9, 10}

These compounds have antioxidant, cardiotonic, cardioprotective and soothing properties.

The benefits of hawthorn :

• Regulates heart rate
• Tonicardiac
• Hypotensive
• Calming
• Antispasmodic
• Extensive pharmacological effects on the cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine systems and on pathogenic micro-organisms.^{9, 10}

Black garlic and hawthorn are medicinal plants long appreciated in phytotherapy and traditionally used to combat the action of free radicals and cellular aging, thanks to their high antioxidant content. 

Black garlic, a panacea in our natural pharmacy!

References :

1. Béliveau Richard Ph.D. Foods against cancerTrécarré, 2005, 213 pages

2. Graci Sam, Crisafi Daniel-J N.D, M.H, Ph.D, Superfoods, A harvest of energy that can change your lifeChenelière/McGraw-Hill,1998, 282 pages

3. Schneider Anny, Native medicinal plantsLes éditions de l'homme, 2020, 265 pages

4. https://livingalchemy.ca/fr/collections/alive-series/products/black-garlic-alive
5. https://www.ledevoir.com/vivre/alimentation/630741/qu-est-ce-que-l-ail-noir

6. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/EncyclopedieAliments/Fiche.aspx?doc=ail_nu

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YvK8PvRNsE

8. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=cayenne_ps

9. https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Solutions/PlantesSupplements/Fiche.aspx?doc=aubepine_ps#:~:text=Ils%20am%C3%A9liorent%20notamment%20l'efficacit%C3%A9,plante%2

10. https://well.ca/fr/marque/living-alchemy.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0oyYBhDGARIsAMZEuMuGkob_TYhuVBDfHhqVAWhZ3q5XxcaSKakrpsdyey5gPB1Jfze4DAQaA