Garlic is a potent bulb related to onions that is used in many forms of ethnic cuisine, including Italian, Mexican, and Middle Eastern dishes. Garlic has many health benefits, including anticoagulant properties similar to (if not better than) Aspirin. It can reduce LDL cholesterol, has anti-carcinogenic properties, and relieves hypertension. For health benefits garlic can be eaten raw, in the form of 1-2 cloves a day sliced into pill-sized amounts and swallowed. Powdered garlic is ok, but nothing beats the real thing. It is delicious cooked with just about anything, and steams well with vegetables, leaving mild cloves and spicy veggies. Garlic should not be taken before surgery as its blood-thinning properties are potentially hazardous during such processes. The blood-thinning is good for you in all other respects, preventing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and myocardial infarction (heart attack).