The flu makes the headlines every year as public health officials urge vaccination and new flu strains are discovered. People looking for a natural way to prevent or treat the flu often turn to garlic, a natural remedy that has been safely used for hundreds of years in the fight against infection. The antimicrobial properties of garlic offer promise as a potential treatment or preventative for the flu, but the evidence supporting this use remains inconclusive thus far. Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent the flu, but for most people, adding garlic to the diet in food doses does no harm and might offer some extra benefit.
The Flu
The flu is caused by the influenza virus, which infects the nose, throat, bronchial tubes and lungs. This contagious virus causes symptoms that include a sudden fever, headache, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, sore throat, cough, sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. Symptoms can last two weeks or more and some people die from the flu. A vaccine is available each year against that year's most prominent strains of influenza.
Garlic
The herb garlic has been used since at least the 1700s to protect against disease, but few studies have been done looking at garlic's effect on influenza in humans. In laboratory studies, such as a 1992 study in "Planta Medica," garlic and extracts of garlic compounds have been shown to kill viruses in cell culture. Scientists have only recently begun to elucidate possible mechanisms behind garlic's antimicrobial properties. The main component of garlic responsible for its antiviral activity is allicin, a thiosulfinate compound released when garlic is cut or crushed. Ongoing studies continue to look into whether garlic is an effective preventative or treatment for the influenza virus.
How to Use Garlic
Garlic can be eaten as a food or taken in supplement form. To use garlic in food form, chop 2 to 4 cloves per day and add them to cooked dishes or eat them raw. Allow chopped or crushed garlic to sit for about 10 minutes before eating it or adding it to a dish to allow the chemical reactions that cause allicin formation to create more of this antiviral compound. As a supplement, you can take 600 to 1,200 mg of aged garlic extract per day, divided into a few doses throughout the day, or take two 200 mg tablets of freeze dried garlic three times a day. Fluid extract, tinctures and garlic oil are also available.
Considerations
Garlic is a safe herb with a long history of use, but some people should be cautious about using garlic. Garlic can thin the blood, so you should not take it before having surgery or delivering a baby. Garlic can also interact with some medications, such as the blood thinner warfarin and protease inhibitors used to treat AIDS. Garlic can also cause side effects such as bad breath, body odor and upset stomach. Some people experience an allergic reaction to garlic.
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