The Consumer Guide to Garlic

In this guide...
  Source
  Benefits and Uses
  Do Scientists Know How It Works?
  Recent Findings
  Safety
  What Types Of Garlic Products Are Available
  References
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Source: A bulb (comprising a number of cloves) that forms on the stem of a plant (Allium sativum) in the lily family, garlic is among the oldest cultivated plants in existence, with a history as a widely venerated food and medicinal herb that goes back at least five thousand years.

Benefits and Uses: Garlic has long figured in a seemingly endless array of folk remedies for everything from insect bites to fever to intestinal ailments. The ancient Greeks, Chinese, and others used garlic to treat parasites, respiratory problems, and other conditions. Its popularity in Mediterranean countries where there are relatively low rates of heart disease has led researchers to explore its potential to reduce heart attacks by lowering the levels of blood fats, including triglycerides and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Numerous studies indicate that garlic can also help to prevent cancer, boost immunity, balance blood sugar levels, and prevent digestive ailments. Garlic may also help the liver to neutralize poisons and chemical pollutants.

 

Do Scientists Know How It Works? In the past two decades garlic research has become a minor industry, with an estimated 2,400 scientific studies focusing on either its bodily actions or its chemical constituents. Researchers have determined that garlic contains amino acids, various vitamins and trace minerals, flavonoids, enzymes, and at least 200 additional compounds. Among the most active medicinal compounds are dozens of sulfur compounds rarely found in most other plants, including alliin, allicin, ajoene, and diallyl disulfides. These compounds are thought to be primarily responsible for garlic's documented antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and other healthful properties.

Recent Findings: In one recent study, Russian researchers determined that garlic is a double-barreled blaster of heart disease: its beneficial effects on cardiovascular health were attributed both to direct actions on the walls of heart arteries and to indirect preventive actions at the cellular level. Other recent studies have documented potential benefits in protecting the liver and kidneys from toxic substances, preventing high blood pressure, and reducing risk factors such as blood fat levels in patients with heart disease.

Safety: With a long history of use as a food, garlic is extremely safe. Taking very large daily doses (more than 10 g) of some products may cause flatulence, stomach irritation, or indigestion. Because garlic may thin the blood, people who are taking anticoagulant drugs should use with caution. It is not meant to replace these anticoagulant drugs, nor to replace stronger antibiotic drugs such as penicillin. There are no known contraindications to the use of garlic during pregnancy and lactation.

What Types Of Garlic Products Are Available? Garlic is available fresh or juiced as well as in tablets, capsules, softgels, and tinctures. Odor-controlled powders, concentrates, and extracts in capsules are popular forms, as are enteric coated products to prevent the destruction of active compounds by stomach acids. garlic supplement producers are increasingly standardizing their products for desirable garlic compounds, principally allicin but also total sulfur, alliin, S-allyl cysteine, and other components. It is frequently combined with echinacea and other herbs.

References

  • Orekhov, A.N., et al., "Direct anti-atherosclerosis-related effects of garlic," Annals of Medicine (1995), 27:63–65
  • Wang, B.H., et al., "Protective effects of aged garlic extract against bromobenzene toxicity to precision cut rat liver slices," Toxicology (1998), 126(3):213–22
  • Iqbal, M., and M. Athar, "Attenuation of iron-nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA)-mediated renal oxidative stress, toxicity and hyperproliferative response by the prophylactic treatment of rats with garlic oil," Food Chem Toxicol (1998), 36(6):485–95
  • Pedraza-Chaverri, J., et al., "garlic prevents hypertension induced by chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis," Life Sci (1998), 62(6):PL 71–77
  • Bordia, A., et al., "Effect of garlic (Allium sativa) on blood lipids, blood sugar, fibrinogen and fibrinolytic activity in patients with coronary artery disease," Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids (1998), 58(4):257–63

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