Black garlic benefits: Complete health guide

What is black garlic?

Before we look at how black garlic benefits our health, we should probably explain what it is. Now, we’re sure you’re familiar with garlic – after all, it’s a common ingredient in recipes all around the world. Not to mention a way to ward off vampires! In fact, people have been using garlic as both food and medicine for centuries.(1) Evidence indicates that it was a key part of the Ancient Egyptian diet, particularly for the labouring classes. Garlic was also given to soldiers and Olympic athletes in Ancient Greece to increase their strength. What’s more, Hippocrates – widely considered the father of modern medicine – prescribed garlic for a variety of ailments.

But what about black garlic? Well, as the name implies, this has charcoal-coloured cloves instead of creamy white ones. It doesn’t grow like that, however – this change in shade is due to a process called the Maillard reaction. The exact origins of black garlic are unclear, but experts think it was invented in East Asia.(2) To make it, you age normal garlic in a hot and humid environment for several weeks. As well as being a different colour, black garlic benefits our wellbeing in even greater ways than regular garlic. We’ll talk more about that below. First, let’s find out what it’s like to eat it!

What does black garlic taste like?

Black garlic differs from normal garlic in texture, taste, and aroma. As the cloves darken, they also become softer, denser, stickier, and chewier. The flavour is sweeter, tangier, and more delicate – it might remind you of balsamic vinegar or molasses. All of which makes a clove of black garlic a little similar to a dried fig or date. What’s more, it doesn’t have the pungent scent of raw garlic. As such, one of the many black garlic benefits is that you won’t smell it on your breath!

Despite these differences, you can still use black garlic in place of normal white garlic in most recipes. And there are plenty of good reasons why you might want to. It’s time to take a closer look at how black garlic benefits our wellbeing.

Is black garlic good for you?

The answer to this question is an easy yes! Just like white garlic, black garlic benefits our health in all sorts of ways. In fact, it might even be more effective at boosting wellbeing than its more commonly used cousin.

At first glance, it may seem like this isn’t the case. That’s because many of garlic’s positive effects on our wellness are thanks to an active compound called allicin – and the fermentation process that creates black garlic actually reduces the amount of allicin in the ingredient. However, it converts it into other antioxidants like alkaloids and bioflavonoids, giving the food more power to fight free radicals.(3) This means black garlic benefits us by decreasing the damage that oxidative stress does to our cells. Experts have linked oxidative stress to several harmful conditions, including heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders. As such, reducing it could support our overall wellbeing in numerous ways.

What’s more, the ageing process of black garlic produces a compound called S-allyl cysteine (SAC). This makes the remaining allicin in the ingredient more bioavailable, enabling our bodies to absorb more of it. That’s good news, because studies suggest that allicin can lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow.(4) One way it does so is by inhibiting the production of angiotensin II, a compound which increases blood pressure.

That’s not the only positive effect of SAC, though. Research also indicates that it has neuroprotective properties, helping to guard against memory loss and cognitive impairment.(5) Studies have found that there could therefore be black garlic benefits for treating conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.(6) However, further investigation is necessary to confirm the relevance of these findings for patients with those diseases.

Black garlic health benefits

One of the best-known ways in which black garlic benefits our wellbeing is by supporting the immune system. This isn’t simply because of its antioxidant properties. The ingredient can also lower inflammation, for example by inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines.(7) This is advantageous because chronic inflammation damages healthy cells and increases the risk of several diseases. Studies further suggest that black garlic could stimulate immune cells, perhaps enabling us to fight off infections more effectively.(8)

We mentioned above that garlic may help to lower blood pressure. But this isn’t the only way that black garlic benefits cardiovascular health. The ingredient might additionally be able to decrease levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.(9) This lessens the risk of heart disease, as well as blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. That’s because LDL cholesterol can build up on the walls of your arteries, narrowing them and limiting blood flow.

Research also shows that there’s a possibility black garlic benefits blood sugar management. Consuming it could help lower blood glucose and aid people with diabetes, however further investigation is necessary to clarify this.(10) Animal studies have found that black garlic benefits liver health too, with regard to both injury and chronic conditions.(11) Once again, though, we need more research to know if these findings apply to human patients.

Finally, studies indicate that black garlic may have anti-cancer properties.(12) Having said that, these results – although promising – are only preliminary, and it’s unclear how far black garlic benefits cancer patients.

So, what is black garlic good for? Potentially, quite a lot! Now let’s look at the more practical questions of how to obtain those benefits.