Name: Garlic - Odorless (Enteric Coated or Concentrated)
Scientific Name: Allium sativum
Intro: Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years. Recently, medical research has been underway to assess whether these traditional uses of garlic have scientific validity. While the science is not definitive at this point, much of the research is showing real promise and many clinicians continue to report improvements in the areas of infection and heart-related risk factors for their individual patients. For example, test tube and animal studies suggest that garlic can kill many types of bacteria, some viruses and fungal infections, and even intestinal parasites. The belief is that properties of garlic may prove to help support immune function and prevent infection in people. Some experts believe that science may prove that garlic is particularly useful when taken together with medications (like antibiotics) prescribed for these infections.
Garlic also has antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help scavenge free radicals -- particles that can damage cell membranes, interact with genetic material, and possibly contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of conditions including heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause over time.
Nutrient Content: There are several important components of garlic that have been identified, and many more that have not. Alliin is an odorless sulfur-containing chemical derived from the amino acid cysteine. When garlic bulbs are crushed, alliin is converted into another compound called allicin. Allicin appears to be at least one of the primary active compounds that gives garlic its characteristic odor and many of its healing benefits. Allicin appears to have infection-fighting action as well as potential cardiovascular effects including, possibly, the ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, test tubes have shown that allicin has anti-cancer activities. Allicin is further broken down to a compound called ajoene, which may be the substance that inhibits blockage in blood vessels from clots and atherosclerosis.
Benefits:
Comments: Garlic is considered to have very low toxicity and is listed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States
Caution: Side effects from garlic include upset stomach, bloating, bad breath, body odor, and a stinging sensation on the skin from handling too much fresh or dried garlic.
Handling garlic may also cause the appearance of skin lesions.
Other side effects that have been reported by those taking garlic supplements include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches, dizziness described as vertigo (namely, the room spinning), and allergies such as an asthmatic reaction or contact dermatitis (skin rash).
Garlic has blood-thinning properties so people with bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia or platelet disorders, should not use garlic supplements or medicinal doses of garlic. This is also important to know if you are going to have surgery or deliver a baby. Too much garlic can increase your risk for bleeding during or after those procedures.
Some experts recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women avoid garlic. This may be due to the fact that a safe dose of medicinal garlic has not been established for infants and children.
Possible Interactions
If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use garlic supplements without first talking to your healthcare provider.
Antiplatelet medications
Garlic may exaggerate the activity of medications that inhibit the action of platelets in the body. Examples of such medications include indomethacin, dipyridamole, and aspirin.
Blood-thinning medications
There have been reports of a possible interaction between garlic and warfarin that could increase the risk of bleeding in people taking this blood thinning medication. Therefore, when taking medications that may thin the blood, such as aspirin and warfarin, you should refrain from consuming large quantities of garlic, either fresh or commercially prepared.
Diabetes medications
When used with a class of medications for diabetes called sulfonylureas, garlic may lower blood sugar considerably. Medications from this class include chlorpropamide, glimepiride, and glyburide. When using garlic with these medications, blood sugars must be followed closely.
Protease inhibitors
Garlic may reduce blood levels of protease inhibitors, a medication used to treat people with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including indinavir, ritinavir, and saquinavir.
Other
It is thought that garlic may behave similarly to a class of cholesterol lowering medications called statins (such as atorvastatin, pravastatin, and lovastatin) and to a class of blood pressure lowering medications called ACE inhibitors (including enalapril, captopril, and lisinopril). It is not known, therefore, whether it is safe to take this supplement in large quantities with these medications or not. This possible interaction has never been tested in scientific studies.