More about Garlic.

Garlic for food and medicine - a brief history

Garlic has been used all over the world for thousands of years. Records indicate that garlic was in use when the Giza pyramids were built, about five thousand years ago.

Garlic (Allium sativum), an herb used widely as a flavoring in cooking, has also been used as a medicine throughout ancient and modern history to prevent and treat a wide range of conditions and diseases.

Garlic belongs to the onion genus Allium, and is closely related to the onion, rakkyo, chive, leek, and shallot. It has been used by humans for thousands of years and was used in Ancient Egypt for both culinary purposes and its therapeutic benefits.

Medicinal uses for garlic

**Garlic contains volatile oils of allin, allinase (the enzyme that converts allin to allicin when garlic is crushed), and allicin, sulphurous compounds (like diallyle disulphide), selenium, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. The volatile oils and sulphurous compounds are responsible for both its pungent odor and its medicinal properties. Organically-grown garlic tends to have a higher sulphur level, and therefore, a stronger medicinal effect. Garlic has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that fight a variety of ailments.

**Garlic has been used to help combat cardiovascular disease. It may decrease and prevent atherosclerosis by inhibiting the stickiness of platelets and blood clot formation, and by lowering cholesterol. Garlic decreases cholesterol and thins the blood flowing through already narrowed vessels. It's this action that may lower the incidence of strokes or heart attacks in people who eat garlic daily. A word of caution to those taking daily aspirin or anti-coagulants: Because garlic can increase clotting times, do not add too much garlic to your diet.

**Garlic may also decrease triglyceride levels while raising good cholesterol levels known as HDL. Again, there are both positive and negative studies regarding garlic's influence on the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL. Diet and exercise are your primary tools for the prevention of heart disease.

There are conflicting studies regarding the issue of garlic's effects on blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetics are known as "diet-controlled" and may or may not be taking additional glucose-lowering oral medications. The addition of garlic to the diet may help type 2 diabetics gain better control of their fasting blood glucose levels and offer other health benefits with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

**Garlic is known to be antibacterial, and was even studied by Louis Pasteur in 1858. In an experiment he placed cloves of garlic in a petri dish of bacteria and later noted that the bacteria were killed in the areas surrounding the garlic. Garlic is a broad-spectrum antibiotic alternative for many bacterial infections and will not lead to "super bugs" like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that are now rampant, especially in hospitals. Before antibiotics were readily available, wound care for victims during both World Wars included the use of garlic application. Garlic is still effective for the treatment of lacerations and cuts, and infected wounds.

The effect of garlic on fungal infections is possibly even stronger than against bacteria. Extracts of garlic have a strong suppressive effect on fungi in the soil. Yeast infections in humans, such as Monilia, are also eliminated or greatly reduced. This makes garlic especially useful to the healer since there are fewer antifungal alternatives than antibacterial. There is also a lack of significant side effects.

Unlike most herbs, studies have shown garlic to have a direct effectiveness against viruses. There are no known antibiotics that will destroy a viral infection. Colds and influenzas can cause miserable symptoms, and some flu cases can be fatal. Garlic probably works in a two-pronged attack on viruses, both directly and by stimulating your own immune defenses to fight harder. Ingesting fresh garlic may decrease the duration of a viral illness. It is thought that taking garlic before exposure to a virus will lessen your chance of getting the infection in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.