In Chinese Medicine, spices play a very important part in dietary therapy.
Anything that gives off a pungent spicy aroma is considered to have activating, moving and expectorating properties when it is consumed into the body.
Spices are seen to increase circulation; they move energy, blood and other fluids. One outcome of this increased movement is to help expel unwanted particles from the body; wastes, phlegm and toxins are pushed out from the pores, the lungs and other exits.
You can easily see how spices can cause movement and activity by simply sniffing them. They will cause lots of activity in your nose and your sinuses (causing them to release mucous). They may even make your eyes water.
In Chinese Medicine the growth of cancerous cells is strongly linked to a build up of toxins and phlegm in the pathways inside the body. (There is a long, yet clear explanation for this which I will explain in future articles).
One of the methods used in Chinese Medicine to help expel cancerous cells from the body is spices and aromatic herbs. As they can be used to both expel toxins and other things which should not be part of the body; and also they are seen to be useful for activating and charging up the immune system which a healthy body uses to destroy any mutating cells.
Anything that gives off a pungent spicy aroma is considered to have activating, moving and expectorating properties when it is consumed into the body.
Spices are seen to increase circulation; they move energy, blood and other fluids. One outcome of this increased movement is to help expel unwanted particles from the body; wastes, phlegm and toxins are pushed out from the pores, the lungs and other exits.
You can easily see how spices can cause movement and activity by simply sniffing them. They will cause lots of activity in your nose and your sinuses (causing them to release mucous). They may even make your eyes water.
In Chinese Medicine the growth of cancerous cells is strongly linked to a build up of toxins and phlegm in the pathways inside the body. (There is a long, yet clear explanation for this which I will explain in future articles).
One of the methods used in Chinese Medicine to help expel cancerous cells from the body is spices and aromatic herbs. As they can be used to both expel toxins and other things which should not be part of the body; and also they are seen to be useful for activating and charging up the immune system which a healthy body uses to destroy any mutating cells.
Now in Western Science there are many studies starting to come out about how spices such as garlic and turmeric can be helpful as an element in both the prevention of and treatment of cancer. We will be looking at lots of these studies in future articles.
The first study we are going to examine was carried out by researchers at the Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention; and it was published in the scientific journal ~ Cancer Prevention Research.
They carried out a population based case control study between the years 2003 and 2010, which analysed the link between consumption of raw garlic and lung cancer.
The first study we are going to examine was carried out by researchers at the Jiangsu Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention; and it was published in the scientific journal ~ Cancer Prevention Research.
They carried out a population based case control study between the years 2003 and 2010, which analysed the link between consumption of raw garlic and lung cancer.
After their investigation of detailed questionnaires and analysis of nearly 6000 participants, they concluded that ...
Those who ate raw garlic two or more times a week had a 44% less chance of developing lung cancer.
And very interestingly, those in the study who smoked still decreased their risk of lung cancer by 30% by consuming the raw garlic just twice a week !
(Smoking is considered to be the main cause of lung cancer - accounting for nearly 9 out of every 10 cases of it).
Study Reference - Online May 8, 2013; doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-13-0015 / Cancer Prev Res July 2013 6; 711
Those who ate raw garlic two or more times a week had a 44% less chance of developing lung cancer.
And very interestingly, those in the study who smoked still decreased their risk of lung cancer by 30% by consuming the raw garlic just twice a week !
(Smoking is considered to be the main cause of lung cancer - accounting for nearly 9 out of every 10 cases of it).
Study Reference - Online May 8, 2013; doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-13-0015 / Cancer Prev Res July 2013 6; 711
My advice - Garlic is a very safe food, it has been eaten for thousands of years without any known serious side effects.
However, in Chinese Dietary Medicine, with all that movement garlic is causing internally - it also creates heat as a side effect; so too much of it can over heat your body and cause issues. Therefore it is best taken in moderation. The advice is to take smaller amounts of it mixed with foods such as rice and vegetables. (Vegetables create a cooling effect in Chinese Medicine which helps to balance any heat caused by the active spices - this will be explained in detail in future articles).
It is also important that garlic when used still has a smell form it. The Chinese believe that the odour contains the strongest and most active properties in foods that are spicy. This is again easy to see if you think about how a raw onion has a strong effect in making your eyes tear up, whereas an onion that has been boiled for a long time hardly produces any effect on them.
So make raw garlic part of you weekly diet, include it into some of your meals. It is again another easy thing you can do. Remember when you are fighting cancer, every little bit extra (from Western and Eastern Medicines and sciences) will help to increase the chances of a successful outcome.
However, in Chinese Dietary Medicine, with all that movement garlic is causing internally - it also creates heat as a side effect; so too much of it can over heat your body and cause issues. Therefore it is best taken in moderation. The advice is to take smaller amounts of it mixed with foods such as rice and vegetables. (Vegetables create a cooling effect in Chinese Medicine which helps to balance any heat caused by the active spices - this will be explained in detail in future articles).
It is also important that garlic when used still has a smell form it. The Chinese believe that the odour contains the strongest and most active properties in foods that are spicy. This is again easy to see if you think about how a raw onion has a strong effect in making your eyes tear up, whereas an onion that has been boiled for a long time hardly produces any effect on them.
So make raw garlic part of you weekly diet, include it into some of your meals. It is again another easy thing you can do. Remember when you are fighting cancer, every little bit extra (from Western and Eastern Medicines and sciences) will help to increase the chances of a successful outcome.
