I used to eat garlic the wrong way for years. I would crush a clove, toss it into my cooking immediately, and assume I was getting all the benefits. I thought I was doing something great for my health. I was not.

A doctor from India who had been studying the medicinal properties of garlic for decades noticed me adding crushed garlic directly to a hot pan during a cooking class. He stopped me and asked if I knew what I was doing. I told him I was adding garlic to my food. He shook his head and said I was destroying the very compounds that make garlic beneficial.

The Most Common Mistake

When you crush or chop garlic, you activate an enzyme called alliinase, which converts a compound called alliin into allicin, the substance responsible for most of garlic’s health benefits. But allicin is fragile. It begins to degrade within minutes of being formed, and heat accelerates that degradation rapidly. If you cook garlic immediately after crushing it, you destroy most of the allicin before it ever reaches your body.

The Simple Fix

After crushing or chopping your garlic, let it sit at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes before cooking it. This waiting period allows the allicin to form fully. Once it has formed, it becomes more stable and can withstand some heat without being completely destroyed.

How to Get the Most Out of Garlic

Crush or chop your garlic and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes before using it. If you are cooking garlic, add it toward the end of the cooking process rather than at the beginning. The less time it spends over heat, the more allicin survives. For maximum benefit, eat garlic raw. Crush a clove, let it sit, and mix it into salad dressings, dips, or yogurt. If you cannot tolerate raw garlic, the ten-minute rest before cooking is still better than cooking it immediately.

What I Changed

I let my garlic rest before cooking it. The difference in flavor is subtle, but the difference in health benefits is significant. If you are eating garlic for its medicinal properties, do not make this common mistake. The ten-minute rest is essential. Take garlic and do it right.

Looking for more surprising natural solutions? You won’t believe what happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar, or how this remedy instantly removes nail fungus! And if you’re curious about staying healthy, find out how one person claims they haven’t been sick in 35 years.