Nutritional information on Garlic

If eaten, garlic helps eliminate the tapeworm, it drives out the urine. It is good against snake bite with wine, or when crushed in wine. It is good aginast the bite of a rabid dog. It makes the voice clear, soothes continuous coughing, when eaten raw or boiled. Boiled with oregano, it kills lice and bed bugs. It clears the arteries. Burnt and mixed with honey, it heals white skin spots, herpetic eruptions, liver spots, leprosy and scurvy. Boiled with pine wood and incense, it soothes toothache when solution is kept in the mouth... Boiling the umbrel flower is good for a sit bath to help the coming of menstruation and placenta. It is helpful in dropsy.

Cardiovascular Effects

In both animal and human studies, components of garlic have been shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease remain the number one killer in civilized countries of the world. It is now recognized that hyperlipidemia is associated with increased incidence of premature ischemic heart disease. Over 80% of ischemia is asymptomatic. Ischemic heart disease is the major killer among all heart diseases. In animal experiments it has been suggested that the HDL increases with garlic feedings due to the removal of cholesterol from arterial tissue.

Hypercholesteremia correlates highly with the risk of myocardial infarction.

Animal Studies

When extracted garlic olil was given intravenously to normotensive dogs, blood pressures fell 25 percent. Hypertensive rats given garlic extract experienced lowering of blood pressure to normal within thirty minutes. Normal levels were sustained for twenty-four hours.

Garlic has been repeatedly shown to be effective in reducing blood lipids. Four groups of rats fed on a high cholesterol diet were given garlic in different forms: whole garlic autoclaved whole garlic, ethanol extract of garlic, and ethanol residue. In each case the garlic reduced total cholesterol. Allicin-rich garlic extract was the most effective.

Garlic extract has also been shown to lower liver triglyceride and cholesterol in rats. Similar results have been found in rabbits. Decreased atheromatous lesions seem to be a consistent finding in rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet supplemented with garlic feedings. These series of experiments have even suggested that garlic may prevent thrombotic disorders.

Garlic has been shown to decrease the activity of two of the liver enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme) that control lipogenic activity. ;Two groups of rats were put on a high sucrose serum, 46 percent liver and 35 percent renal increase in cholesterol. Garlic prevented these increases in the experimental group. (NORWELL AND TARR, 1984)

Human studies

Epidemiological studies and clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of garlic in reducing blood lipids, inhibiting platelet aggregation and increasing fibroolytic activity, supporting its use as an anti-atherogenic substance.

Garlic has been used in China and Japan for centuries to treat hypertension. In Japan, garlic research has been so extensive and supportive of its therapeutic value that the Japanese FDA approves its use as a drug.

In 1948 the journal Praxis reported that in 40 of 100 patients with abnormally high blood pressure, garlic caused a reduction of 20 mmHg or more after about a week of treatment. Initially large doses were given and then gradually diminished to a constant small dose as improvement continued. Additionally, patients felt a reduction in symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, angina-like pain, and backaches. (Piotrowski, 1948). The study's author claimed that the effect of the garlic was due to the dilation of the arteries.

In another study, 20 healthy individuals were fed garlic for six months and followed for two months without garlic. Garlic administration resulted in significantly lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels while raising the HDL's. A second group consisted of 62 patients with coronary heart disease with elevated serum cholesterol. Garlic effected changes of statistically significant levels at teh end of 8 months and persisted for the next two months of follow-up while showing a distinct hypolipidemic action in both healthy individuals and patients with coronoary heart disease. (BORDIA, 1981)

Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties

The antibacterial properties of garlic have been recognized for some time. The Codex Medicamentarius, published in 1758, recommended a tincture of garlic to combat cholera. Pasteur reported on the use of garlic as an antibacterial agent (Reichenberg, 1980)

At the turn of the century, Dr. W. C. Minchin, head of the tuberculosis ward at Kells Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, wrote that garlic was used as an inhalant, taken internally, and applied as a compress and ointment.

At the same time, Dr. M.W. McDuffie, conducting research in New York City, compared garlic with 55 other treatments for TB and concluded that garlic was the most effective agent. Garlic has been demonstrated to be bacteriostateic for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in low concentrations and probably bacterialcidal in higher concentrations (Rao, 1946)

During the World War 1, garlic was used to control typhus and dysentery. In World War 2, not one case of septic poisoning or gangrene reportedly developed after treatment of battle wounds with garlic by British physicians and paramedics. Garlic was used by Dr. Albert Schweitzer against typhus and cholera.

In another clinical experiment garlic was shown to be bacterialcidal in low concentrations. These effects have been attributed to the oxidation of sulphur which in turn destroys most of the harmful bacteria. (Cavillito and Bailey, 1944)

Nobel Laureate ARthur Stoll, who first isolated the active ingredients of garlic, discovered that allicin has significant germicidal properties due to its ability to oxidize sulphur and allinase, which degrades allin into allicin (the antibacterial component of garlic.) (Stoll and Seebech 1951)

Garlic exerts benefical activity in the gastrointestinal tract. In one study, 22 human subjects were treated with therapeutic doses of garlic successfully for bowel purification and excess indican levels (indicanuria) (Thrash and Thrash 1980)

Anti-cancer properties

Several published studies indicate that garlic is a potential anticancer agent. In 1957, a study in Science reported that garlic was found to be an anti tumor agent in mice. (Weisberger and Pensky, 1957) Injection of garlic extracts together with cancer cells resulted in a substantial delay of death from 16 days to 6 months. When garlic was injected after virulent cells, tumors were delayed or prevented from developing as long as administration of garlic was continued.

An interesting epidemiological finding was reported by the Chinese Ministry of Health in Peking, who found that Gangshan County, Shandong Province, has the lowest cancer death rate (3.45/100,000) while Quixia County had the highest (40/100,000) . The residents of Gangshan regularly eat up to 20 grams of garlic per day, whereas those of Quixia rarely eat any garlic (Belman. 1983)