Eat More Garlic: Let your Doctor Play More Golf!

[Guest guest]

Eat More Garlic: Let your Doctor Play More Golf!

 

 

JoAnn Guest Aug 18, 2005 11:12 PDT

 

 

 

Eat more garlic and let your doctor play more golf.

 

 

 

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/health.htm

Before we get into the physiological effects of garlic, I would like to

say that I am not a chemist; neither am I a botanist, biologist nor

medical doctor. But I can read and I do love garlic enough to read

everything about it I can. I am merely trying to pass on, to you, the

results of what I have read in order to help stimulate enough of an

interest for further study. If you find disagreement with the contents

of this section, please leave us your comments, as we plan to update

this section with the latest information as it becomes available to us.

We would not knowingly or intentionally misinform anyone. Where

possible, we will cite the specific source of our information and urge

you read it to help you be better informed. If you have copies of

research papers that we do not, please either forward them to us or tell

us where we may obtain copies so that we can update our data base.

 

 

 

We realize we are in the middle of a controversial subject area and wish

to allow you to make intelligent choices based on having the maximum

amount of information. We are not trying to practice medicine, give

medical advice or anything of the kind. Around our place, we just happen

to like the flavor of garlic and are overjoyed that information exists

to show that it has beneficial effects on our bodies. Our goal is to

inform others about the research that indicates these benefits and let

researchers defend their own findings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Physiological Effects of Garlic

 

Experiments by competent scientists, as well as ordinary people, have

shown beyond any reasonable doubt that consuming garlic generally has

the following physical effects:

Garlic lowers blood pressure a little.

Garlic lowers LDL Cholesterol a little.

Garlic helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup (plaque) within the arterial

system. One recent study shows this effect to be greater in women than

men.

Garlic lowers or helps to regulate blood sugar.

Garlic helps to prevent blood clots from forming, thus reducing the

possibility of strokes and thromboses (It may not be good for

hemophiliacs).

Garlic helps to prevent cancer, especially of the digestive system,

prevents certain tumors from growing larger and reduces the size of

certain tumors.

Garlic helps to remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the

body.

Raw Garlic is a potent natural antibiotic and, while far less strong

than modern antibiotics, can still kill some strains of bacteria that

have become immune or resistant to modern antibiotics.

Garlic has anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.

Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.

Garlic has anti-oxidant properties and is a source of selenium.

Garlic probably has other benefits as well.

 

 

Modern medical discoveries have shown that, contrary to prior medical

opinion, numerous diseases are caused or contributed to by infectious

processes caused by bacteria or viruses, or both - gastric ulcers,

ulcerative colitis, coronary artery disease, Kaposi's sarcoma and

cervical cancer to name a few. Garlic may be helpful in treating or

preventing some of these conditions.

 

Recent discoveries by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren at Royal Perth

Hospital in Australia show that stomach ulcers are either caused by

bacteria (Helicobacter Pylori) or contributed to by it and that

antibiotics can make most ulcers go away. I remember reading of tests

showing that raw garlic kills H.Pylori in vitro, but not necessarity in

vivo, perhaps because the allicin formed by eating raw garlic is no

longer allicin by the time it gets to the stomach, having been converted

to other compounds by saliva. Maybe if they had crushed the garlic and

waited 10 minutes before consuming it they might have gotten different

results since there would have been more allicin formed than there would

be if one ate the raw garlic immediately. I read of an in vitro study

done by Dr. Gowsala Savim of Bastyr University wherein she showed that

combining allicin with a known effective antibiotic was more effective

than either one by itself.

 

Dr. Martin Blaser of Vanderbilt University in Nashville has indicated

that Crohn's disease and uncerative colitis may also be inflammatory

diseases caused by or contributed to by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

Is it possible that eating raw garlic might help to alleviate these

conditions? Since I have been eating two to four cloves of raw garlic

daily, my own digestive disorder has gone away. I was afflicted with

spastic/irritable colon for 20 years before I started eating raw garlic

and it gradually went away completely in about six months after I began

eating raw garlic. I had gotten off the public water system the year

before and onto untreated rural creek water. If you have never suffered

from this disorder, you cannot imagine the joy of having your first

" normal " bowel movement in many years. During those first few months I

also took one or two acidophyllus pills a day, but haven't taken any for

the last seven years. Clearly, it was not the allicin as I first

thought, but the breakdown sulfides and/or other compounds since the

allicin was dissolved into other compounds in the mouth, esophagus and

stomach and only the breakdown products continued the journey.

 

Coronary artery disease results from a buildup of plaque within the

arterial system. In these atherosclerotic deposits are found greater

than usual amounts of cytomegalovirus and the bacterium Chlamydia

pneumoniae. An ongoing test at Humboldt University in Berlin indicates

that after 18 months of a 54 month test, garlic reduced existing levels

of atherosclerosis and inhibited new growth of plaque. Numerous tests

have shown that garlic reduces LDL cholesterol. It may also be that

garlic's sulfides help by killing the bacteria involved. Other studies

have shown that people who eat more garlic have stronger more more

flexible aortas that are less likely to tear.

 

Recent studies show that garlic is more effective in reducing

cholesterol in women than in men. That's kinda understandable when you

consider the differences between men's and women's endocrinal chemistry.

Hormones that are good for one can be bad for the other and I think

there needs to be a whole lot more research into female endocrinal

chemistry and how that affects womens health in general, rather than

relying on old data that assumed mens' and womens' organs functioned the

same and clearly, that is not so since the endocrine systems have very

different levels of the same compounds.

 

Method of application makes a big difference. A few years ago I caught a

staph infection in my finger. I recognized it because I had to go to the

doctor and get expensive antibiotics when it happened before so I

decided to fight it with garlic this time and I increased my usual daily

intake of strong raw garlic. After a few weeks, there was no improvement

and it just continued to swell until it was about twice normal size, or

more. It didn't make any difference how much raw garlic I ate, it only

slowed it down but didn't stop it. Then in desperation, I crushed a

large clove of strong garlic and rubbed the juice and pulp directly all

over my distended digit. There was a acute burning sensation at the site

of the infection, but it dissapated went away in a minute or two and was

replaced with a throbbing feeling which then was gradually replaced over

a hour or so by a feeling of less pain and pressure. Feeling better, I

went to bed and upon awaking in the morning, the swelling had decreased

by nearly half and it felt better yet. I treated it again that morning

and night and it continued to improve and in a couple more days returned

to normal. That's results!

 

This transdermal application allowed the allicin to seep right through

the skin and go directly to the site of the infection rather than trying

to get there via the circulatory system. The direct route allowed it to

be more concentrated when it got there and it made short work of the

staph infection. How it was applied made all the difference in this

case. Transdermal application bypasses the chemical changes imposed by

the stomach and intestinal juices and the thinning out by being

dissolved into the bloodstream and filtered by the liver and kidneys.

Applying it directly to the affected part allows a more intense and

purer concentration right at the site of the infection and gets much

better results. Note: RAW GARLIC CAN BURN DELICATE SKIN! Do not use

directly on skin if your skin is sensitive or susceptible to rashes or

other skin reactions without consulting your doctor first. People who

are or may be allergic to garlic or any of its sulfur compounds

shouldn't try this, or anything on this website, without asking their

doctor first.

 

Garlic may be an important thing to keep in mind these days when most

strains of staph have become immune to everything except Vancomycin, and

now there's even a strain that has become resistant to that. Garlic

might still work if you can apply it transdermally to the right

place(s). It's a thought.

 

In 1993, researchers at the National Cancer Institute reported that a

pre-cancerous condition in the cervix was almost always associated with

infection with a common virus called human papilloma virus. In 1995, Dr.

Keerti Shah of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found the

same relationship with cervical cancer in a study of women from all over

the world. It has been suggested that the virus is sexually transmitted

as many women with the condition were sexually active or their sex

partners were sexually active, especially with prostitutes. Would garlic

help? I really have no idea, but since garlic is effective against some

viruses, I would like to see some research into this.

 

In the late 1980's, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

found that gay men who had contracted AIDS through sexual contact were

20 times more likely to develop Karposi's Sarcoma than hemophiliacs who

contracted AIDS through transfusions. In 1995, Dr. Patrick Moore and his

wife, Dr. Yuan Chang, both of Columbia University discovered a

previously unknown human herpes virus that appeared to be the culprit.

It may be that the weakened immune system of AIDS patients cannot

overcome this strain of virus that seems to be readily suppressed in

healthier people. It would be interesting to see some research into this

using garlic as it helps to strengthen the immune system as well as

having some anti-viral properties. It may not help at all, but it is

difficult to know that unless it is thoroughly investigated. While much

research has been done, it seems clear there are many more opportunities

for discovery ahead.

 

If garlic has all these benefits, why aren't doctors and hospitals

recommending it for their patients? In many other countries, they are,

but not in the United States. Why? One reason is that medical doctors

have very little nutritional instruction or herbal medicine in their

training and may be unaware of garlic's benefits. Another reason is that

it may sound too much like quackery to them. A third reason is that

pharmaceutical manufacturers do not recommend garlic (perhaps for

financial reasons). And, perhaps modern allopathic physicians

concentrate more on alleviating symptoms, healing and surgery than

prevention of illness through better nutrition and healthier lifestyles,

although that may be more the responsibility of the patient than the

doctor. But the over-riding consideration may be that garlic, like all

natural plants, is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to quantify

and it is all but impossible to isolate a single chemical compound that

is responsible for garlic's many effects. Indeed, research indicates

that there are many such compounds in garlic.

 

In late 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew its

previous recommendation that people take beta-carotene pills because

they discovered that the pills of concentrated beta-carotene were less

effective compared to eating foods that contain beta- carotene,

naturally. They determined that it was the combination of beta-carotene

and the other compounds in those foods that did the job, not beta-

carotene alone. And, so it seems to be with garlic. While much research

has been done that show garlic actually produces the effects listed

above, those results need to be re-examined in a new light because not

all garlic is created equal.

 

While the results of the tests are certainly valid, they do not go far

enough. For example, the tests do not state what particular cultivars of

garlic were used or whether the garlic was grown organically or, if

grown with chemicals, what residual fertilizer or pesticide residues may

have been present. Some cultivars of garlic are naturally more potent

than others and I have read of tests that purport to show that

organically grown garlic is much more potent than garlic grown using

modern agricultural chemicals. However, the garlics used came from

widely separated areas and the cultivars used were not named and were

probably different, so the test results are almost meaningless.

 

For tests of the efficacy of garlic in treating various ailments to be

truly accurate, tests need to be done in parallel using an organically

grown strong garlic, such as Metechi or Chinese Purple and a medium

garlic such as Inchelium Red and also a milder garlic such as Chet's

Italian Red or Simoneti to determine the difference in results. While

they're at it, they should conduct tests using the same garlics grown

with farm chemicals. Even then the tests will vary due to the

differences in soil types, climate and other planting, growing,

harvesting and storage conditions as well as differences in the sizes of

cloves used and how long those garlics have been out of the ground as

storage time affects the chemistry of garlic.

 

As you can see, it is not so simple as it initially appears. That is why

some of the tests have used " stabilized " garlic pills, but even they

have their differences due to the same reasons just mentioned. There is

certainly ample room for much more experimentation into garlics and a

fertile field for researchers to try to obtain grants to do some of the

vast amount of work yet to be done. The future of garlic in health care

and in prevention programs is wide open.

 

Modern pharmaceutical manufacturers seem obsessed with the concept that

for each herbal or traditional medicine that produces the desired

healing effect, there is a single " magic bullet " compound in the herb

that does the job. They feel that if they can identify it, then

chemically synthesize it and administer it in amounts much more

concentrated than occurs naturally they can achieve better, more

predictable results. Research has shown that even when they synthesyze

diallyl disulfide as a petroleum distillate, it does not have the same

effect as the garlic-derived version, apparently because of its ongoing

chemical reactions with its own volatile compounds. This volatility

gives garlic a synergism (life?) that is not present in the synthetic

version. Garlic just won't hold still long enough for them to get a good

look since everything in it seems to disintegrate into other things

right before their eyes, and even when they find the magic bullet, they

can synthesize the bullet, but not the magic.

 

Garlic and Cancer

Garlic's role in cancer seems to be more to prevent it than to cure it,

at least based on the ways we now use it. Garlic eaters just get less

cancer than non-garlic eaters, according to demographic surveys. Using

garlic in various ways inhibits cancer cells from reproducing, that is,

it slows down the process and may actually reverse it in the early

stages.

 

One of the breakdown products of allicin is S-allyl Cysteine (SAC), a

water-soluble chemical shown by studies at Penn State to kill or retard

the growth of breast cancer cells. Another study at the same university

showed diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DATS), both

oil-soluble, that kill or retard the development of lung, skin and colon

cancers. DATS is much more effective than DADS, because of the

additional sulfur atom, and DADS was much more effective than SAC.

 

Why is solubility important? Because there are two circulatory systems

in the human body, one for water-soluble solutions (the arterial/venous

system) and one for fat or oil-soluble compounds (the lymphatic system).

Since some cancer cells spread via the lymphatic system, that would seem

to imply that some are oil-soluble and can be found by DADS or DATS via

the lymphatic system. SAC can spread throughout the body to find cancer

cells via the circulatory system, due to its water-solubility. If you

can send compounds that retard the cellular division and, therefore,

growth of cancer cells into your body via both channels, you increase

your chances of being able to control, or maybe slow down the rate of

development of the cancer. It's good to know that garlic has both kinds

of compounds. Garlic naturally has a high level of selenium, which has

been shown to have anti-tumor properties also.

Click here to read the Penn State report on SAC and DATS.

 

By knowing a little bit about how Mother Nature designed the human body,

you can use your inside knowledge (pun intended) to enhance the

effectiveness of your garlic. Since alcohol goes into the blood stream

fast because it is absorbed through the lining of the stomach rather

than waiting until it gets to the small intestine like most things,

mixing crushed fresh garlic with wine or brandy may help speed it into

your system. If you want to get some oil-soluble compounds into you

system, you can put crushed fresh garlic in a little olive oil and

swallow it. It will find its way into the lymphatic system because the

oil should act as a carrier to take it there. Even if it doesn't seem to

help, it hasn't cost much and at least you'll have had a delicious

snack, especially if you dip a crouton or bruschetta in the garlicky oil

to help it go down.

 

As mentioned elsewhere in this document, rubbing crushed fresh garlic on

the skin will get more of garlics compounds into your system faster than

eating it, it stands to reason that you could do the same thing by

rubbing garlic-laced booze or oil directly on the skin and absorb it

through osmosis. Since vitamin C is an anti-carcinogenic, why not mix

crushed garlic with orange juice or grapefruit juice and take a bath in

it? (Unless you're allergic!) Transdermal application merits looking

into. It may sound a bit quackish to suggest some of these things, but

if one has cancer and there is a chance it may help, why not try it? If

I were a cancer patient, I would probably be trying some pretty weird

things, but if any of them worked, I wouldn't care how weird someone

else thought they were. Garlic breath is better than no breath. I'm not

claiming these things will cure cancer (After all, if thousands of

doctors and billions of dollars can't, what chance does a backwoods

farmer with a few bulbs of garlic have?), only that I would try them if

I had cancer. Question - If any of those weird things worked, would they

still be weird?

 

I remember reading that there were studies recently with cancer patients

showing that medications taken with grapefruit juice were more effective

than the same dosage taken with water or other citrus juices. The

doctors concluded that there must be something in grapefruit juice that

really gives medicines a boost. They didn't know what it was, but it

really made a difference. There was enough difference reported that I

decided to try it and have been eagerly looking forward to my next

headache for about six months now to see if it makes my pill work any

faster or better than usual. If I ever have another headache, I'll try

to remember to try it and then update this webpage. Where's that nagging

headache when you really want it? ---UPDATE--- I tried it and it worked

faster and better than before. - Bob 3/5/2002.

 

We can borrow from the single magic bullet concept and find ways to

intensify and use garlics DADS and DATS and SAC compounds in as many

ways as possible, especially since garlic has few undesireable side

effects like many modern medicines taken in powerful concentrations,

such as in some cholesterol lowering drugs and chemotherapy drugs. For

example, pickling garlic increases the level of SAC over time and using

well-aged pickled will get more SAC into your system.

Also, chopping or crushing garlic and letting it wait 10 minutes and

then baking it or microwaving it increases the amount of DADS and DATS

in the cooked residue - same with boiling it in an enclosed pot or in

milk. The water or milk in which the garlic is boiled is also rich in

DADS and DATS - drink it. We need to be a little careful about trying to

fool Mother Nature as she has a billion year head start on us - It may

be best to work with her rather than against her - hence the different

ways of getting garlic into the system.

 

I can't tell anyone else what to do since I don't want anyone accusing

me of trying to practice medicine here, but I would do the above things

if I were a cancer patient. I would also eat more than my share of

pickled garlic (along with extra vitamins A, C, D and E and selenium)

because it contains ever increasing amounts of S-allyl cysteine. I would

eat it as a supplement only, not as a replacement for fresh garlic,

which I would eat and otherwise use copious amounts of.

 

In order to gain a better understanding of some of the terms used by

researchers in their papers, it might be a good idea for you to read the

section on the chemistry of garlic in order to gain more insight into

what is meant by allicin, ajoene, diallyl disulphide, etc. There is

nothing static about garlic, everything in it is in a constant state of

change and its chemical properties are a function of what it is mixed

with and under what circumstances. A large team of scientists could

spend their lifetimes working with it and barely crack the surface. The

more we come to understand about it, the more of it we will want to eat

and the healthier we will be. Is it really accidental that people in the

republic of Georgia in the former USSR live longer than most other

people and also have more different kinds of garlic than any other

country?

 

Every few years since 1989 garlic researchers have convened to present

their corporate-sponsored studies to their peers. As far as I know, the

first such conference was held in Germany in 1989 and was sponsored by

the Lichtwer Company, the manufacturer of Kwai garlic pills and studies

were presented demonstrating the health benefits of allicin, which their

product, Kwai, was said to have plenty of.

 

A second one was held in New York in 1990, sponsored by Nutrition

International Company and co-sponsored by Penn State University and the

USDA. It was called The First World Congress on the Health Significance

of Garlic and Garlic Constituents (despite the fact that a similar

conference [above] was held the prior year) and was organized by a

doctor who was an employee of Nutrition International and the Congress

Chairman. It appears to me there may be some relationship between

Nutrition International and Wakunaga, the manufacturers of Kyolic brand

of aged garlic extract.

 

Understandably, many of the papers submitted at that congress centered

around the Kyolic products. Doctors made statements at that congress

touting the benefits of Kyolic and disparaging the allicin based

preparations of other manufacturers and claiming crushed raw garlic to

be toxic. Many papers submitted at subsequent conferences also contain

research based on particular commercial preparations and one begins to

wonder about the true scientific objectivity of some of the researchers.

 

 

This practice of disparaging competitors seems widespread in the

manufactured products part of the garlic industry and is certainly not

limited to any one organization. Many other papers also show similar

benefits using natural garlic. Be that as it may, for so many papers to

show that vast amount of beneficial properties of garlic or its

constituents or derivatives, one has to say that where there is that

much smoke, there must be some fire somewhere. I can't help but remember

the words of a researcher (not in garlic, fortunately) at a prominent

midwestern university, " If you will donate $100,000 to our department,

we'll prove anything you want to prove. "

 

I personally prefer fresh natural garlic as I think it tastes much

better in food preparations than any of the pills or oils. I have never

seen a recipe for roasted garlic pills or 40 garlic pill chicken. Many

of these products seem intent on providing the health benefits of garlic

while minimizing the resultant odor. Accordingly, we will let the

readers determine for themselves what they think about the results, the

researchers and their objectivity and whether they think the properties

are particular to a specific product or whether they pertain to garlic

in general.

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi JoAnn

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

some value in taking them?

thanks

JP

-

JoAnn Guest

; naturesanswer

Thursday, August 18, 2005 11:17 AM

Eat More Garlic: Let your Doctor Play

More Golf!

 

 

 

Eat More Garlic: Let your Doctor Play More Golf!

 

 

JoAnn Guest Aug 18, 2005 11:12 PDT

 

 

 

Eat more garlic and let your doctor play more golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " 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

 

---

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

 

http://www.enzy.com/abstracts/display.asp?id=1573

 

Medical Abstract Title:

A Garlic Derivative, Ajoene, Inhibits Platelet Deposition on

Severely Damaged Vessel Wall in an in Vivo Porcine Experimental

Model

 

Author:

Apitz-Castro R, Badimon JJ, Badimon L

 

Source:

Thromb Res. 1994; 75(3):243-249.

 

Abstract:

Ajoene, (E,Z)-4,5,9-trithiadodeca-1,6,11-triene 9-oxide, is a potent

antiplatelet compound isolated from alcoholic extracts of garlic. In

vitro, ajoene reversibly inhibits platelet aggregation as well as

the release reaction induced by all known agonists. We used a well

characterized perfusion chamber to study the in vivo effects of

ajoene on platelet deposition onto a highly thrombogenic, severely

damaged arterial wall, obtained by stripping off the intimal layer

and exposing tunica media. Platelet-vessel wall interaction and the

effect of ajoene was studied under flow conditions of high and low

local shear rate that mimics laminar blood flow in small and medium

size arteries (1690 sec-1 and 212 sec-1). Our results indicate that

administration of ajoene to heparinized animals, significantly

prevents thrombus formation at local low blood shear rate. Ajoene

does not inhibit binding of vWF to GPIb, therefore, it does not

affect platelet adhesion. In fact, although ajoene impairs

fibrinogen and vWF (less efficient) binding to GPlIb/IIIa, it does

not totally inhibit platelet deposition to the substrates at any of

the shear rates used in this study. Our present results, under in

vivo flow conditions and in the presence of physiological calcium

levels, suggest that ajoene may be potentially useful for the acute

prevention of thrombus formation induced by severe vascular damage,

mainly in

sites with local low shear rates.

 

 

 

 

 

† This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug

Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat,

cure, or prevent any disease.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Enzymatic Therapy, Inc.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes