More information on Garlic:
The Ancient Bulb with 21st Century Medicinal Properties By:
Robert N. Femminella, CNS, MS Printer Friendly Version Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant native to Asia, and a member of the lily family. Though it is referred to as the "stinking rose", garlic is an essential ingredient in many types of cuisine around the world. The history of garlic dates back to approximately 2300 B.C. in ancient Sumeria, and throughout this time, garlic has been used for its antiseptic and antibacterial qualities. When Egyptian medical papers were found dating back to 1550 B.C., they contained eight hundred formulas for the therapeutic uses of garlic. More recently, the famous French chemist, Louis Pasteur, found that garlic was an antibacterial agent.
People have, for thousands of years, used garlic to expel parasitic worms that lodge in the intestinal tract. Some studies show that garlic has an ability to kill amoeba and hookworms. In recent years, Indian studies have demonstrated that garlic has fibrinolytic activity. Fibrin is a protein necessary in clot formation. The protein is essential in the body, but when it exists in excess, there is an increased chance of clots disrupting blood flow. Garlic may have the ability to dissolve fibrin, in a process called fibrinolysis. Garlic has also demonstrated the ability to inhibit fibrinogen receptors on platelets. This is caused by the compound ajoene, which is a major component in garlic.
The Chemistry of Garlic
Today, much more is known about garlic due to advances in the field of organic chemistry. Many individual compounds have been analyzed and tested for their biological values. When garlic is crushed, it releases at least one hundred sulfur-containing compounds, and it is sulfur that gives garlic its distinctive odor.
The best method for using garlic in your diet is to cut or crush the raw clove. When garlic is crushed, it releases an enzyme called allinase, and this enzyme converts alliin, the substance in raw garlic, to allicin. Allicin is an extremely active substituent of garlic. When three allicin molecules combine, they form a compound called ajoene, which has antithrombotic (anti-clotting) properties. This means that it can prevent platelets (the blood cells involved in clotting) from clumping, which is what leads to blood clots.
Minerals in garlic
Garlic also contains the minerals selenium and germanium. The amount of selenium in the bulb depends on the content of selenium in the soil where the bulb is grown. Selenium is a very important mineral because it is part of an enzyme in the body known as glutathione peroxidase. This enzyme helps deactivate some harmful substances that are created when we fight infections. When white blood cells become activated to fight a foreign substance in the body, they produce a toxic compound called hydrogen peroxide. Glutathione peroxidase helps to detoxify the body by converting hydrogen peroxides into water.
Glutathione peroxidase also uses its detoxifying properties to convert harmful lipid peroxides into less harmful substances. These toxic compounds are formed when fatty acids in the blood stream are attacked by harmful free radicals.
The Healing Power of Garlic
Research studies demonstrate that garlic is effective in healing the body in a number of ways:
- Garlic is effective in the destruction of Candida albicans, a fungus responsible for the dreaded yeast infection.
- Garlic also appears to stimulate NK cells and macrophages. These immune cells kill pathogens and abnormal cells in the body.
- Garlic has many sulfur compounds in its makeup, one of which is ajoene, which has antifungal properties.
- Garlic has also demonstrated an ability to inhibit bacteria by interfering with certain chemical reactions in the body. The sulfur compounds in garlic destroy thiol groups (sulfur - hydrogen groups) in the enzymes needed for reproduction of bacteria. Specifically, they interfere with DNA polymerases. These enzymes are needed for the replication of the bacterial chromosomes and this disruption will lead to the inability of the bacteria to reproduce. Garlic also has the ability to lower serum cholesterol. In some studies, it has been demonstrated that garlic can raise the level of "good cholesterol" in the body by at least eight percent.
- Another favorable aspect of fresh garlic is that it can reduce systolic blood pressure (the top number of blood pressure), and it has been shown to reduce triglycerides in the blood.
- Garlic also contains small amounts of vitamins A, B, C and E, and the minerals potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, and iron.
- Not only does garlic reduce systolic blood pressure, it also has the ability to lower blood sugar, which makes it a very useful dietary tool in the treatment of diabetes. If you are hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), you will need to determine if garlic lowers your blood sugar too significantly. As with any substance, each individual is different, and therapeutic amounts must be individualized.
A Warning About Garlic and Blood Thinning Medications
People taking blood-thinning drugs, such as Ticlopidine or Coumadin, must use caution when using garlic. Garlic, with its anti-clotting properties, may react badly with these categories of drugs, and result in excessive bleeding. Not enough is known yet about the interaction between garlic and these drugs, so those people on blood thinners should not use standardized garlic extracts in excess of one-half clove of garlic daily.
Conclusion
Garlic has been demonstrated throughout history to be a remarkable herbal medicine. When using supplemental garlic, you need to take the dosage equivalent to approximately 4,000 mcg of allicin concentration a day. To achieve this dosage, you can purchase coated tablets or capsules that have standardized the Allicin Potential. The Allicin Potential is a parameter that the German commission has established, with regard to a product's therapeutic use. In Germany, herbs are sold for therapeutic use and must meet strict standards. The commission has determined that 4000 mcg of allicin is equivalent to the dose needed for therapeutic use.
If your primary reason for not using garlic is the odor it leaves on your breath, chewing on a sprig of parsley usually solves this problem. Raw garlic has the greatest therapeutic effect if used regularly, and it can be diced and added to your food. People with sensitive stomachs may not be able to tolerate raw garlic, and these individuals must cook garlic lightly before ingesting it. Cooking the herb will destroy the allinase, but many of the therapeutic effects can still be achieved.
I hope you enjoy discovering your favorite garlic recipe, and you may be healthier because of it.