Garlic will be different depending on season, variety, and a host of other factors. But when using garlic raw, you should definitely remove the green germ.
You don't have to remove the green sprout in the center of the garlic clove, but you may want to. It is not poisonous or toxic, but that green sprout supposedly imparts a bitter flavor. It certainly indicates your garlic has been around a while, and the clove itself will most likely have a milder flavor.
One of the joys of wild garlic is that the whole plant is edible raw and cooked: The subterranean bulb (which you need permission to pull) can be treated as a small onion or calçot. The early shoots work as salad leaves or scatter herbs. The bigger leaves can be chopped and eaten raw or cooked like spinach.
Whether the garlic has formed this green sprout or not, the flavor of the germ is strong and imparts a bitter taste to food— remove it before using.
Others only feel it's necessary to remove for raw applications, where the germ's flavor will be more pronounced. And some chefs believe that the germ doesn't have a harsh taste at all; they argue that because the germ is just young garlic, it is as tender and mild as the just-harvested stuff.
The not-so-simple, simple conclusion: If you don't like the taste of the green germ, remove it. If you don't mind it, leave it in. And if you're using garlic in braises, soups, stews, or even roasting it whole, the germ probably won't make much of a difference anyway.
Raw garlic contains a component called Allicin, which helps in thinning the blood and reduces the cholesterol levels. Thus, the best way to consume garlic is by eating raw garlic on an empty stomach as the fresh garlic contains Allicin and this component gets diluted during the process of cooking.
Dosages generally recommended in the literature for adults are 4 g (one to two cloves) of raw garlic per day, one 300-mg dried garlic powder tablet (standardized to 1.3 percent alliin or 0.6 percent allicin yield) two to three times per day, or 7.2 g of aged garlic extract per day.
A mineral present in Garlic, called selenium can cleanse the liver. It can trigger liver enzymes, and naturally flush out the toxins from your body.
In traditional Chinese medicine, garlic is used to improve cardiovascular health and immunity as well as to treat cancer (2, 4). Garlic was used in daily Chinese diet since around 2000 B.C. or earlier where it was consumed especially with raw meat (2).
Though raw garlic has antioxidant potential, excess intake can lead to liver toxicity (1). As per rat studies, garlic in high doses (0.5 grams per kg of body weight) may induce liver damage. However, low doses of garlic (0.1 grams to 0.25 grams per kg of body weight) on a daily basis are safe for the liver (2).
It improves your body's natural defenses, leading to a stronger immune system and better overall health. The World Health Organization recommends eating about one clove of fresh garlic daily. If you have digestive problems, consume this spice along with other foods to prevent stomach upset.
Because production costs in China are much lower, Chinese garlic costs less. As Chinese garlic continues to flood our markets, California growers are less likely to choose garlic as a crop since it is much less profitable now.
Moreover, it has been proven that a significant amount of Chinese garlic is artificially whitened with bleach, which keeps away and kills insects by acting as a pesticide, helps to make the garlic bulb whiter and is used to eliminate dirt stains, even if natural.
CAN SPOIL THE TASTE: For starters, garlic sprouts are not poisonous and that's a big relief. But if you love the flavour of garlic in your food, the sprout can totally spoil the taste of your dish by making it bitter.
You shouldn't add too much garlic to your diet, too quickly. "One to two cloves a day should be the maximum consumed by anyone," says Tracey Brigman, a food and nutrition expert at the University of Georgia. Eating more than that may cause upset stomach, diarrhea, bloating, or bad breath.
Ingestion of garlic by chewing (or crushed garlic) can reduce cholesterol, triglyceride, MDA, systolic and diastolic blood pressure even in the presence of increasing fat intake.
Drinking a glass of milk with or after a garlic-heavy meal may reduce the concentration of compounds in the mouth that contain sulfur and cause bad odor. Research has shown that full-fat milk is better at reducing odor than fat-free milk.
Studies have shown that garlic if eaten on an empty stomach acts as a powerful antibiotic. It is more effective when you eat it before breakfast because bacteria is exposed and cannot defend itself from succumbing to its power.
How to use garlic to lose weight and burn belly fat: You could have raw garlic with water first thing in the morning. In fact, you can add lemon juice and garlic in warm water and drink the solution. Lemon juice is a weight loss stimulant and is said to be one of the best ingredients to help you cut the bulge.
Garlic on empty stomach can also help to maintain a good immune system. It helps in decreasing inflammation in the body. Allicin, which is present in garlic is considered to be the best agent to prevent heart diseases and cancer.
Chopped or minced garlic distribute flavor in dishes, but also burn easily. A final watch-out: Grating garlic can save tons of time (and gives you all the benefits of minced garlic with less work), but it turns bitter quickly when it's overcooked.
In Italy, cooks throw away their garlic, and their food is better for it! That's because Italians appreciate a more subtle approach to garlic flavor. So when using garlic in a pasta or a sauce, they typically start by sautéing a handful of lightly crushed cloves in olive oil.
Mincing will result in big flavor; however, grating the garlic will release the essential juices and oils and really demand your attention with every bite. Leftover bulbs of garlic can hang out in the kitchen at room temperature—plus, they're pretty to look at in a bowl on the counter.