Onion Garlic Ginger

Eat lots of onion, garlic, and ginger

03.10.18 : Ellaine Castillo
(Natural News) Onion (Allium cepa), garlic (Allium sativum), and ginger (Zingiber
officinale) have potential use in preventing diseases caused by free radicals.

(Different chemical reactions in our body, such as metabolism, produce atoms with
unpaired electrons, called free radicals. These atoms are highly unstable. They
become highly reactive and try to capture electrons from other atoms. This causes a
chain of events that lead to altered cell membranes and lipid structure, as well as
DNA mutations.)

The body has developed a mechanism for getting rid of these free radicals. It
produces substances known as antioxidants, which are able to give away electrons to
free radicals without becoming unstable.

However, there are instances wherein massive amounts of free radicals are produced
in the body due to different lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol, fried
foods, and exposure to toxic substances. These lifestyle habits result in the
body’s inability to produce enough antioxidants to be able to get rid of all these
free radicals, causing oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress has been associated with diseases like

- macular degeneration,
- cardiovascular disease,
- cancer,
- Alzheimer’s disease,
- Parkinson’s disease,
- arthritis, and
- lupus.

Fortunately, oxidative stress can be avoided by eating antioxidant-rich foods and

herbs that can balance out the existing free radicals.

In this study, which was published in Free Radicals and Antioxidants, the
researchers evaluated the antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts of onion,
garlic, and ginger. They did this by determining total phenolic and flavonoid
content. Results of the experiment showed that ginger had the highest total
phenolic content, followed by onion and then garlic. In addition to this, onion
exhibited the highest total flavonoid content while ginger had the lowest.
Aside from these tests, the researchers also conducted a 2,2-diphenyl-1-
picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. From this it was observed that
ginger had the highest free radical scavenging activity, followed by onion and then
garlic. These results could be attributed to the amount of phenolic substances in
the different extracts

The results of this study show that ethanolic extracts of onion, garlic, and ginger
have potent antioxidant activities. With further understanding of the actual
mechanisms of their antioxidant activities, they could replace synthetic
antioxidants that are used to treat oxidative stress-related
diseases. (Related: Oxidative stress and inflammation – two things that age humans
the fastest.)

These three spices have also been shown to have the following health benefits:
* Reducing inflammation – Both onion and ginger have been shown to have anti-
inflammatory properties. In onions, this can be attributed to the presence of
sulfuric compounds and a substance known as quercetin. Meanwhile, ginger’s anti-
inflammatory property is due to the bioactive compound, gingerol.
* Improving cholesterol levels – Studies have shown that eating garlic can reduce
total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 10 to 15
percent. In addition, garlic seems to have no effect on the good cholesterol, high-
density lipoprotein cholesterol.
* Regulating blood sugar – Chromium and sulfuric compounds in onion are able to
lower blood sugar levels in patients suffering from both types of diabetes. Ginger
has also been shown to have the same results, however, the component responsible
for regulating blood sugar has not been determined.
* Boosting the immune system – Adding garlic to a person’s diet has been shown to
lower the incidence of colds by 63 percent. In addition to this, the average length
of a cold is also reduced from five days to one and a half days.