Raw garlic is a superb herb to use in juices when juice fasting for its powerful healing effects.   I use it with parsley as the parsley seems to counteract the scent.  No one complains.

~ Dazzle

            In the ever-changing world of magic foods and miracle cures, garlic has maintained its status as virtual panacea of the herbal kingdom. The so-called "stinking rose"  has a history of more than 5,000 years of culinary and medicinal use among cultures throughout the world, and new research has confirmed its medicinal uses. Few other culinary herbs can boast the impressive array of healing benefits--from anti-bacterial properties to prevention of heart disease--provided by garlic.

From Vampires To Vitamins

            The use of garlic as a healing agent dates back to 2600 B.C., when ancient Egyptians used the pungent herb for everything from dental hygiene to epidemic control. Macerated garlic cloves were pressed into decaying teeth by early Egyptian dentists, and royal architects fed raw garlic cloves to the Hebrew slave crews who toiled on the pyramids, to control the spread of disease from crowded living conditions. The Egyptians also formulated what was perhaps the first version of an ancient Prozac, with the then-popular medical remedy for hysteria--a combination of camphor, valerian and garlic fermented in wine.

            Ancient Greek physicians furthered the uses and reputation of garlic as a healing herb by using wine-soaked garlic cloves to treat infections. Opium from ripe poppy capsules was combined with garlic juice and wine as an early anesthetic before surgery. Roman legion soldiers drank crushed and fermented garlic, barley, pomegranate and wine to increase their stamina during long days in the coliseum and arduous marches across rough terrain. And in Asian cultures, the aromatic herb has been used for a variety of applications rivaled only by ginseng.

            Garlic has been used for more than medicinal purposes throughout the years. Fearful folk of the Dark Ages believed garlic had the ability to dispel demons--witness the legendary garlic-clove garlands worn to deter vampires. This anecdotal use of garlic later gave rise to the use of the herb for unexplained illnesses, which were attributed to demonic possession. Culinary uses of garlic date back to Old Testament times, when such dubious delicacies as oven-roasted locust and garlic abounded, and salads were dressed with the first version of vinaigrette--a combination of olive oil, vinegar and copious quantities of garlic.

            Hippocrates was the earliest physician to validate the use of garlic as a healing agent. Later luminaries in the world of medicine, including Albert Schweitzer and Louis Pasteur, documented its efficacy in killing bacteria. Modern science has continued to confirm early anecdotal claims for the healing benefits of garlic, with numerous studies that have borne out garlic's efficacy in treating a vast array of ailments. Garlic has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, enhances immunity, improves circulation, acts as a topical antibiotic, helps reduce blood pressure and lowers cholesterol levels.

            Perhaps the two most important modern applications of garlic include its use in reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. The aromatic clove has a documented ability to help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol, reducing overall blood lipids and decreasing blood pressure. Certain compounds in garlic have been shown to have a vast range of heart-protective effects, including lowering blood cholesterol and reducing blood clotting. In high doses--about 8 cloves a day--garlic can lower blood cholesterol levels by as much as 20 percent.

            Other promising research points to the possible anti-cancer effects of garlic. In one epidemiological study, referred to as the Iowa Women's Study, researchers found that the risk of esophageal, colon and stomach cancer dropped by 35 percent in women who consumed one or more servings of garlic weekly, and that garlic was a greater deterrent to colon cancer than dietary fiber. Additional studies have suggested that garlic inhibits cancers of the prostate and cervix, and may reduce the growth of breast cancer cells.

Allicin Wonderland?

            While garlic is unarguably one of the best researched plants in history, some controversy remains regarding the compounds that yield its potent health benefits. At the center of this controversy is allium, the compound that many researchers believe is the primary active constituent. But some say the allicin theory is more myth than reality.

            In its raw state, garlic doesn't actually contain allicin--rather, it contains a precursor called alliin and an enzyme called allinase. When a garlic clove is cut into, cooked or otherwise processed, a reaction begins between alliin and allinase to create allicin. Some researchers believe that allicin itself is the beneficial component that renders garlic so healing in nature. Still others insist that because allicin is a highly unstable compound with a half life of less than three hours, it's not biologically possible for it to be of any great benefit.

            When allicin is absorbed by the body, it begins to be transformed into a myriad of different components that may be responsible for the health benefits of garlic. Some theories hold that these allicin transformation products, including ajoenes, dithiins and diallyl sulfides, have many of the same beneficial effects attributed to allicin. Other healing constituents of garlic include various sulfur compounds such as thiosulfanates and gamma glutamyl cysteines, precursor compounds form which the biologically active products of garlic are derived.

            Despite the controversy, one fact remains true: because garlic contains literally hundreds of compounds, there's just not a lot of knowledge about what makes the magic clove work. Most research has been based on epidemiological studies of populations that have a high consumption of garlic in whole food form, making it virtually impossible to isolate the actions of individual constituents. Additionally, most clinical garlic research is based on compounds besides allicin, mainly water-soluble sulfur compounds, oil-soluble sulfur compounds and sulfur-containing amino acids. The general consensus is that the healing actions of garlic are based on a variety of compounds that work synergystically, rather than one single agent.

Making No Scents

            In spite of its seemingly perfect profile, garlic does have one obvious drawback--it wasn't dubbed the "stinking rose" for nothing. In some cultures this distinctive aroma may range from commonplace to desirable, but reeking of garlic is rarely socially acceptable in the Western world. Healthy as garlic is, some concession must still be made for close encounters and crowded elevators. Certain supplements can boost garlic consumption without casting you as a cocktail-party pariah.

            The pungent odor of garlic is subdued in a number of ways in garlic supplements, the most common being enteric coating--a process which allows allicin, the compound responsible for garlic's smell, to remain intact until it reaches the intestinal tract. When garlic tablets break down in the stomach and allicin is formed, garlic breath follows. If odor is a big issue, look for enteric coated capsules and tablets which remain intact in the stomach, preventing the release of allicin and the resulting offensive breath.

            There's some evidence that taking garlic in small doses throughout the day is beneficial. Since this isn't generally practical, unless you crave garlic at your morning meals, slow-release supplements offer a continuous release of the beneficial constituents of garlic into the blood stream all day long.

            Cooking garlic helps to lessen its pungent smell, and contrary to popular opinion, doesn't appear to diminish its health benefits. To prevent morning-after garlic smell on hands during food preparation, scrape your fingernails across a bar of natural glycerin soap to keep the juice out of nail beds, and squeeze fresh lemon juice liberally over your hands after preparation. Some garlic presses have cylindrical tubes that keep fingers away from pungent smells and crush garlic with less mess. The best advice? If you're in a close relationship with another garlic lover, pile it on. Since it's said that misery loves company, you can happily munch away on garlic cloves all night long.    

The Science Behind Garlic "Magic"

            Unlike many so-called wonder herbs, garlic has an impressive array of scientific research to back up its health benefits. Some healing highlights include the following:

•     Reduced risk of cancer. Epidemiological studies show that there is a consistent correlation between high consumption of garlic and a lowered risk of cancers, especially cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.

•     Reduced risk of heart disease. A number of studies have shown that garlic helps prevent the clumping of blood, thereby reducing the risk of blocked arteries and heart disease.

•     Lower cholesterol levels. More than 40 clinical studies have shown that the consumption of fresh garlic and garlic extracts can lower blood cholesterol levels, with an average decrease of almost 10 percent. Additionally, garlic helps reduce LDL--the "bad cholesterol"--levels, and lowers overall blood fats.

•     Decreased blood pressure. A number of studies on humans have shown that garlic in tablet form helps reduce blood pressure by almost 8 percent over a six-month period.

•     Antioxidant effects. A number of studies have shown that garlic has a strong antioxidant activity, effectively preventing free radical formation.

•     Enhanced immunity. Some studies show that even in low doses, garlic stimulates the immune system, increase the activity of natural "killer cells" to ward off pathogens.

•     Antibiotic properties. Garlic has both antibacterial and anti fungal effects on the skin and in the intestinal tract. Some studies also show and anti viral effect of garlic.   

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