Eating one simple food could help banish common cold and prevent you falling ill
As the weather cools down, our clothing layers thicken and germs become more prevalent - many of us hope to avoid catching a cold.
However, if you do fall ill, a surprising ingredient may help alleviate your health. TikTok videos have been circulating, claiming that consuming garlic can aid in quickly recovering from a cold, particularly if you're brave enough to bite into a clove.
According to mindbodyspiritsecrets, biting into a clove once or twice and then swallowing it can work wonders due to the presence of allicin - a compound with natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
This means that garlic can help "kill off the bad bacteria", and speed up the healing process, potentially reducing the duration of your illness. While it may still take a few days to fully recover, garlic can help accelerate the process.
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Since the video was shared, it's been liked over 12,000 times, and people are keen to see if the trick works. It looks as though people will try all sorts to try and clear a cold.
One person said: "Going to eat garlic from my fridge. Been sick three days." A second added: "I've had mine over a week, and it won't go away."
A third replied: "Garlic with honey. Tastes good." Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: "This actually works. I've been doing this for years, and it really shortens the length of your cold.
"You need to chew it a bit before swallowing, as bad as it tastes, but it releases all the juices."
Healthline also reports that garlic is rich in compounds that support the immune system in fighting off germs. Whole garlic contains alliin, which transforms into allicin when crushed or chewed.
Allicin is composed of sulfur, which is responsible for garlic's distinctive smell and taste. However, allicin is unstable, and quickly converts into other sulfur-containing compounds - believed to provide garlic with its medicinal properties.
Research has shown these compounds can enhance the disease-fighting response of certain types of white blood cells in the body when they encounter viruses, like the common cold or flu.
Studies have demonstrated that garlic can lower the risk of falling ill, as well as influence the duration of a person's sickness. It can also aid in alleviating symptoms more quickly.