The analysis of garlic .

[Guest guest]

>From another group.

------------------

"John Polifronio"

<counterpnt@e...> wrote:

> Hi JoAnn

> Do you think that garlic "supplements" are more or less useless,

or is there some value in taking them?

> thanks

> JP

 

Hi John

The Chemistry of garlic is an incomplete science. We are just

beginning to appreciate the complexity of "chemical reactions" that

take place inside the cloves themselves and what happens when it is

crushed, cooked or otherwise "processed" in some way.

 

Even the tiniest clove contains the potential for an almost

unlimited number of compounds that can be generated by interacting

with it in a number of ways.

If you slice open a clove of garlic, you will see that it is

composed of cells separated by cellulose walls.

 

Thanks to research conducted in 1951 by two Swiss chemists, Dr.

Arthur Stoll and Dr. Ewald Seebeck, we know these cells contain

either a cysteine-based sulfur rich amino acid, called "alliin",

which is stored in the mesophyll cells that make up most of the

clove, or a protein-based enzyme called "allinase",

that is stored only in the vascular bundle sheaths that run

vertically up through the cloves, which "reacts" spontaneously with

Alliin on contact, hence the need to be kept apart by the cellular

walls.

The clove has little or no discernible smell until you slice it

allowing these two compounds to "mix" and form a sulfenic acid which

almost spontaneously condenses down to form thiosulphinates, mostly

allicin.

 

Among researchers, there are several other complicated chemical

names for allicin. It is the allicin that is thus formed by chemical

action that has the familiar garlic smell.

 

The ingredient that gives garlic its strong smell, a chemical called

allicin, is also what makes it such a potent antibiotic. It is the

key therapeutic ingredient which is converted to allicin and other

compounds when the bulb is crushed or ingested.

 

Allicin contains sulfur and sulfur compounds that are responsible

for its odor, as well as for such derivative compounds as ajoene,

methyl ajoene, and dithiins. Allicin is the cause of the odour of

the herb. Therefore, if there is no odour, there are no "antibiotic"

properties.

 

When garlic is first sliced, diced, cubed or crushed, the amount of

allicin increases with time as the alliin is converted into allicin,

releasing pyruvic acid (the stuff that gives onions their pungency)

and ammonmia, resulting in the typical garlic aroma. As allicin sets

after crushing, it reacts with itself and converts to diallyl

disulfide, mostly, with a few other compounds also being formed. The

reaction of allicin and itself, or other compounds, continues until

there is no more allicin as it will all have been converted into

other things.

 

There are other compounds of interest, mainly Diallyl disulfide

(DADS) and Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), both fat-soluble and known to

have anti-cancer activity.

 

S-allyl cysteine and S-allylmercaptocysteine, both water-soluble

compounds that are contained in Kyolic brand aged garlic extract

have shown antitumor

activity as well.

 

Numerous studies sponsored by Kyolic in hospitals have

shown beneficial effects in other areas such as lower cholesterol

and blood pressure, etc.

 

Just which compounds are formed, and under what circumstances, is

difficult to say with certainty due to the volatility of allicin and

the variability of the compounds it is mixed with to cause the

chemical reactions that result in new substances being formed.

 

For example if you combine freshly crushed garlic with pure

distilled water, the allicin reacts with the h2o in water to produce

new things.

However; tap water is not just h2o, it also contains chlorine,

fluoride, and traces of runoff agricultural chemicals that flowed

into the lake or river from which the water was drawn before these

chemicals were added as well as the waste products from the aquatic

life forms that lived in the source water.

 

When allicin combines with this soup, you can see the potential for

a whole host of additional new compounds to form. Likewise, when

allicin combines with butter it forms different compounds than when

it combines with olive oil or milk or pasta or potatoes or whatever

foods it is used with. Applying heat sufficient to convert the

allicin into its "breakdown compounds"opens up a whole new set of

possibilities.

 

Fresh cloves can be used at any time internally or externally to

ward off infection; regular use prophylactically improves the

quality of the cardiovascular system.

 

However, the capsules

contain significantly less medicinal "activity". Capsules typically

contain garlic powder and are considerably less potent (as much as

95% less) than fresh EXCEPT for Kyolic.

 

Pearl capsules are typicaly "deodorized". In contrast the whole or

dried bulb "stimulates" the immune system by "enhancing" natural

killer cells (NK), important for fighting cancers and

microorganisms. Garlic's antimicrobial properties may derive from

allicin's "ability" to "block"

the enzymes that normally allow these organisms to invade body

tissues.

 

Allicin is said to be stronger than penicillin and tetracycline, and

microbes do not "mutate" when repeatedly "exposed" to garlic.

studies have indicated that garlic's sulfur-containing compounds

inhibit the stiffening of the aorta in the ageing population. The

National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, contains about

125 scientific papers on garlic published since 1983.Studies reveal

potent compounds that appear to retard heart disease, stroke,

cancer, and a wide range of infections.

 

Allicin is a volatile and short-lived (hours or days) compound,

which if

left alone, will break down into other compounds, such as diallyl

disulphide. In a matter of hours it will further "degrade" into an

oily

witches brew of bisulphides, trisulphides such as allyl methyl

trisulphide and vinyldithiins and polysulphides and many others.

 

Allicin is a powerful natural antibiotic and exists only in raw

garlic.

 

Among the transient compounds formed when allicin breaks down into

oil are dimethyl disulfide - which gives cabbage its taste, propenyl

disulfide - which gives onions their smell, and propenyl sulphenic

acid - which is the substance in onions that causes tears to flow

when you slice or peel them.

 

These compounds occur in much smaller quantities in the breakdown of

allicin than they do in the other vegetables mentioned but they give

you some idea of the kinds of compounds that can form just from

crushing a clove of garlic. Please bear in mind that these

compounds, too, are temporary and through chemical reactions with

food substances, saliva and digestive juices, rapidly turn into

other"compounds"

 

Cooked garlic and garlic oil capsules will have broken down almost

all

the way and that makes a difference as they have different "effects"

on the human body and its ailments.

 

Even the so-called "deodorized" garlic pills or capsules, if they

are any good cause a garlic smell to exude from your pores and

breath as the garlic works its way through your circulatory system

 

There's some interest in S-allyl cysteine and S-

allylmercaptocysteine, both water-soluble compounds that are

contained in Kyolic brand aged garlic extract that have shown

antitumor activity.

 

Numerous studies sponsored by Kyolic in hospitals have shown

beneficial effects in areas, such as lower cholesterol and blood

pressure, etc. Researchers point out that in order to demonstrate

even minimal results, very large amounts (way above normal daily

usage amounts,) must be used and that the sulfides (DADS and DATS)

produce results at normal consumption levels.

 

There are some practical ways you can increase the amounts of these

chemicals in the garlic you use.

Pickling garlic (whole, sliced, cubed or crushed) in vinegar causes

S-allyl cysteine to form and the longer you store it, the more is

formed up until about 5 years. By then, it's pretty potent and so's

the vinegar it's in as they both show the same level of S-allyl

cysteine (SAC) after about 60 days. Its a good idea to let the

sliced, cubed or crushed garlic set and self-marinate for about 10

minutes in order to ripen before putting it into the vinegar so that

the allicin has a chance to maximize and enhance the flavor and

potency of the garlic, whether you pickle it or roast it or whatever

processing you do. Like Chinese mustard, it takes the allicin a few

minutes to build character before using.

 

A good way to maximize the amounts of Diallyl Disulfide (DADS) and

Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is to roast the chopped garlic in an oven

or microwave it as the heat converts the allicin mostly into DATS

and DADS as well as a few other things. Boiling them in water in a

covered dish for 20 minutes does the same thing, but you lose a

little through steam - you lose a lot if the pan is uncovered.

 

 

Complicating the picture are the conflicting findings of research

teams funded by different organizations and not surprisingly, their

findings always seem to favor their company's products.

 

To learn more about the medicinal effects of garlic extracts it

might be beneficial for you to do a search on garlic at www.enzy.com

Surprisingly, I came up with 106 informative results this evening.

There are different results for each disease.

 

Best Regards, JoAnn Guest.