Natural practitioners have long regarded garlic as one of the healthiest foods available. With a long list of scientific studies available to back up it's benefits, garlic shows promise in helping immune health, providing cardiovascular protection and fighting candida infections. With candida and similar yeast infections often ignored in mainstream medicine, individuals looking to deal with such issues may turn to garlic for help.
Candida Infections
Even when healthy, your intestines contain a huge variety of microbes, including many species of yeasts and bacteria. Although many, like lactobacillus bacteria and brewers yeast, provide benefits to the host and aid digestion, troublesome yeast such as candida albicans can cause problems if they become overgrown. Dr. Lawrence Wilson, a fellow of the International College of Bionutrition who has tailored a treatment protocol for yeast problems, explains how modern life can enhance the growth of organisms such as candida. He notes that a high-sugar diet, antibiotic use and residues in the water supply may contribute to the development of a candida infection.
Garlic
Garlic has been featured in the cooking of many civilizations for thousands of years. Jack Challem, a contributor to The Nutrition Reporter, explains how garlic exhibits a range of biological actions and that more than 1,000 scientific papers now elucidate the benefits that this plant can offer. Beyond simply imparting a specific flavor into food, garlic has demonstrated the ability to lower cholesterol, reduce coagulation, provide a potent antioxidant function and fight the overgrowth of pathogenic yeasts.
Allicin
Challem notes how raw garlic does not show any biological action. However, as soon as garlic is crushed, chewed or sliced, the aliin converts to the active compound allicin. It was initially thought that allicin mediated most of garlic's functions in the body, although researchers now know that garlic contains many other sulfur compounds, which play an important role in these effects. Some of the most studied chemicals include alliin, allicin, allinase, S-allylcysteine and diallyl sulfide.
Effectiveness
Challem notes that garlic demonstrates an antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effect. It works in at least two ways; the first through enhancing phagocytosis, a process through which white blood cells engulf and digest invading bacteria and yeasts. The second method sees the garlic compounds stimulating other immune cells to scavenge for targets in the body. One study conducted on rats showed that garlic eliminated 3,500 colonies of candida in just two days.
Food vs Supplements
You will likely find a range of garlic supplements at most health shops. Manufacturers often rate the potency of such supplements by allicin potential, with stronger supplements offering around 6,000 micrograms of allicin. There appears to be no difference in the effectiveness of good quality supplements over food, and vice versa. If you enjoy the flavor of garlic, Dr. Wilson recommends added it into foods on a daily basis.
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