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Eating a clove or two of fresh garlic a day may indeed keep the doctor away, in part because it has immune-boosting, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal effects.

A member of the allium family of vegetables, along with other superfoods like onions, scallions, chives, and leeks, garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. As reported by the George Mateljan Foundation, garlic was believed to have sacred qualities and was placed in the tomb of Pharaohs.

It was also given to slaves building the Egyptian pyramids as a tool for increasing strength and endurance, a use that was also valued by Greek and Roman civilizations, who served garlic to athletes and soldiers before sporting events or war, respectively.1

Even gravediggers in 18th-century France consumed garlic-infused wine as a way to ward off the plague, and soldiers during World War I and World War II used garlic to prevent gangrene.2 Today, we have a wealth of modern research to back up the centuries’ old claims, as garlic truly is deserving of its reputation for potent healing powers.

Garlic Fights Cancer, Heart Disease, and Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Garlic is rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamins B6 and C, so it’s beneficial for your bones as well as your thyroid. It’s thought that much of garlic’s therapeutic effect comes from its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin, which are also what give it its characteristic smell.