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Garlic
(heart-healthy tonic~)
For many people, garlic
supplements have become as much a part of a daily health regimen as their
morning vitamin pills. Heavily promoted in advertisements that tout the herb's
tonic benefits, garlic is outsold only by echinacea and ginseng in today's
crowded herbal marketplace. I certainly agree that garlic is nothing short of
an herbal superstar. But this is one case where I'm convinced that the benefits
of eating the real thing outweigh those of swallowing a capsule, since
commercial extracts don't preserve the full activity of the fresh bulb. Instead
of taking a supplement, I urge everyone to add garlic liberally to their
diets.
Valued as
both food and medicine since the reign of the Egyptian pharaohs (King Tut had
some in his tomb), garlic has been a staple of folk medicine around the world
ever since. Today, this humble bulb has garnered more scientific validation
than any other herb. There have
been an
estimated 2,400 scientific studies on garlic, showing it to be a rich source
of sulfur-containing compounds (including allicin) whose biological activity
benefits so many areas of the body that I classify it as a true tonic. Some of
garlic's most dramatic effects are on the cardiovascular system: It lowers
total cholesterol, while increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and
reducing the susceptibility of LDL ("bad") cholesterol to oxidize,
the first step by which it damages arterial walls. (One well-reported metaanalysis
showed that the equivalent of one-half to one clove a day can lower cholesterol
an average of 9 percent.)
A body of
solid research suggests that garlic also lowers blood pressure, mimicking the
action of hypertensive drugs without their toxic side effects. In addition,
garlic reduces the clotting tendency of the blood, protecting against heart
attacks and strokes.
Through a
different kind of action, this versatile herb fights many kinds
18
of bacteria and fungi that
cause disease in humans. It also enhances immunity by boosting the number of
natural killer cells that check the spread of cancer. Epidemiological studies
have shown a link between regular consumption of garlic (as well as onions,
scallions, and chives) and a reduction in the risk of stomach cancer.
lil'i'i'flf'M'FUH Many manufacturers of garlic
supplements standardize their products for allicin content in the belief that
this compound is primarily responsible for the herb's many health benefits,
but I'm not so sure. Instead, I recommend that everyone eat one or two cloves
of garlic a day. It's much better to eat garlic raw or lightly cooked, as it
loses some of its antibiotic properties when you cook or dry it. Chop it fine
and mix it with food, mash it into salad dressing, saute it lightly in olive
oil to flavor pasta, and, in general, add it near the end of cooking to enjoy
its pungent flavor. You can also cut a clove into chunks and swallow them like
pills. If you find that garlic gives you flatulence, eat less. Try chewing
parsley after eating garlic to minimize any odor.
In a
more-specific use, I have found garlic to be the best home remedy for colds:
Eat several cloves of raw garlic at the first onset of symptoms.
The safety
of garlic as a culinary herb is clear, but we have no data on the safety of
concentrated extracts. Because of their blood-thinning effects, use them
cautiously if you are taking any anticoagulent drugs, especially Coumadin.
buying tips
• Buy fresh, whole garlic rather
than supplements.
• If you simply can't use the
real thing—such as when you're traveling—look for enteric-coated capsules
standardized for allicin content.
DR. ANDREW WEIL'S CONSUMER
GUIDE TO HERBAL MEDICINES
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