Garlic, or Allium sativum, is one of the bigshots in herbal lore. It has been used effectively through the centuries for a variety of concerns and is probably one of the best known herbs/foods. Many people use garlic regularly in their diets, easily identified by the telltale odor. In recent years, odorless garlic extracts have been used to treat a wide range of conditions without creating the bad breath, though many naturalists and scientists believe that this is not as beneficial as the pure garlic. 

Supplemental value:

Garlic has always been thought to be a natural and broad-spectrum antibiotic. It may also have some immune-stimulating properties. Garlic may help prevent and/or treat some bacterial or fungal conditions, including the candida/yeast problem. And it has been used by many, either eaten or worn around the neck, to protect them from flus and colds caused by viruses. Garlic has also been used to kill some types of intestinal worms and parasites. 

Garlic seems to be an energy stimulant, helps circulation, and has been touted as reducing blood pressure in hypertensive people (this has not yet been shown conclusively in research). More recently, garlic has been found to lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels and raise HDL cholesterol, which helps protect against atherosclerosis and coronary-artery disease; garlic’s ability to reduce platelet aggregation may also contribute to this role. Recent evidence shows this to be true, but more research is needed to see how garlic may be used for cardiovascular disease and possibly protective against cancer development. Preliminary research also shows that oral garlic (and onion) can inhibit skin tumor incidence. 

Other claims for garlic include its effectiveness in diabetes or hypoglycemia, arthritis, allergies, blood clotting problems, traveler’s diarrhea, poor circulation, and, of course, colds and flus. In higher amounts, garlic can be irritating to the gastrointestinal tract, and when applied to the skin as raw garlic, it can cause burns. Some women have used it intravaginally to treat infections; however, this is not recommended as it can cause more irritation if the shell coating of an individual clove is disrupted. 

There has been more written about the wonderful benefits of garlic than any other food source known. Its history dates back 3,500 years: Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was the first to write that garlic was an excellent medicine for eliminating tumors.

Recent studies on garlic have shown it to be:

1. Insecticidal - kills insects.
2. Parasiticidal - eliminates parasites.
3. Antibacterial - a wide spectrum antibiotic that doesn't kill the good bacteria.
4. Antifungal - eliminates fungal growth.
5. Antitumor - eliminates various tumors
6. Hypoglycemic - lowers sugar levels in the blood
7. Hypolipidemic - lowers harmful fat levels in the blood
8. Antiatherosclerotic - eliminates clogging of the arteries and plaque buildup, lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels

Additionally, garlic, containing germanium, helps tissues hold more oxygen, but is much less toxic than the expensive forms of germanium prescribed by physicians.

According to Dr. David G. Williams in his publication, Secrets of Life Extension: 10 Simple All-Natural Steps to Achieving Your Maximum Lifespan, in AIDS studies, garlic extract was responsible for normalizing T-cell proportions, reducing diarrhea, fever, candidiasis, and occurrences of genital herpes, and restoring natural killer (NK) cell activity. The report, by the way, was published only in Germany.

According to Dr. Schulze, he's had a number of colon cancers dry up and die simply through a thorough colon cleanse and large doses of garlic.

It has been discovered that the diallyl sulfide in garlic reduces the formation of nitrosamines (carcinogens) in the liver. [Cancer Research, 1988; 48:23]

Suggested Dosage:

Cooking kills garlic's anti-tumor properties.

For internal use, fresh garlic is probably the best. The deodorized garlic used by researchers in Japan was prepared by an aging-fermentation process. This garlic seems to retain the natural effects, but not all deodorized garlic is prepared in this way, and it may or may not have the same benefits as fresh garlic. 

Garlic oil capsules are commonly used as a therapeutic supplement. We can make our own garlic oil from chopped fresh garlic that is soaked a few days in olive oil. It can be used as an external or internal treatment, such as by applying it to the feet or chest during colds or taking it orally as a simple means of obtaining garlic. Garlic oil is good in salad dressings, too.