To get the most from garlic, it’s best to consume it raw and crushed or chopped, then allowed to sit for about 10 minutes before eating or cooking. This waiting period allows the allicin to fully develop. While cooked garlic still offers benefits, some of its potency is reduced by heat. For those who dislike the taste or are concerned about garlic breath, odorless supplements are available. Whether added to salad dressings, blended into hummus, or taken in capsule form, making garlic a regular part of your diet could be one of the simplest and most effective steps you take for your heart health.
Ginger: The Warming Circulatory Tonic
Ginger, with its distinctive spicy-sweet flavor, has been used in traditional medicine systems for thousands of years to treat everything from digestive upset to inflammatory conditions. When it comes to heart health, ginger offers several important benefits that make it worthy of inclusion in your daily routine. Like cayenne and garlic, ginger acts as both a blood thinner and vasodilator, but it brings its own unique set of advantages to the table.
One of ginger’s standout features is its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation is now recognized as a root cause of many diseases, including heart disease. The compounds in ginger, particularly gingerols, help reduce this damaging inflammation throughout the body. For people with arthritis or other inflammatory conditions, ginger can provide relief comparable to some over-the-counter pain medications, but without the potential side effects.
