The Health Benefits of Garlic Garlic may be an effective part of an overall health promoting strategy that includes proper diet, exercise and nutrition. It is one of the most frequently studied herbs today. An impressive collection of results from both clinical and lab studies exists, and point out numerous protective qualities of garlic, including heart health, antioxidant effects and lowering cholesterol. Garlic has an excellent safety record and is well tolerated by most people. Garlic was prized for its anti microbial effects long before microbes were even discovered. French priests of the Middle Ages used garlic to protect themselves against bubonic plague. During World War I, European soldiers prevented infection by putting garlic directly on their wounds. Nearly every culture has used garlic for general health, from ancient chinese to colonial Americans. Today, garlic is one of the best selling foods in Europe, where it is accepted as safe and effective by both medical authorities and government officials. The health benefits of garlic are associated with regular and long term use. Some of the most popular traditional uses of garlic have been for colds, yeast infections and high blood pressure. Modern research has focused on four main areas: heart disease, cancer, infectious disease and antioxidant effects. Studies indicate that garlic reduces cholesterol levels, raises healthy high density lipoproteins, and appears to lower blood pressure directly. A number of studies have shown garlic to interfere with the development of a number of different types of tumor cells. How to use garlic: In clinical studies, both raw and cooked garlic have shown health benefits, although cooking does destroy the ability of garlic to produce the anti microbial compound allicin. Most people prefer to take garlic in the more convenient form of concentrated supplements. Both dietary garlic and garlic supplements have demonstrated effectiveness in clinical trials. More studies may be needed to discover which is "best". In clinical studies, garlic tablets were effective at a dose of 600-900 mg per day of garlic powder. Cholesterol lowering effects were found at 10 mg garlic oil per day, the equivalent to 3-4 grams or 1 moderate size fresh clove. *Information in this article is from the Herb Research Foundation. Visit them on the web at www.herbs.org Always consult your doctor and use caution when practicing self care if you have a serious medical condition. Thanks to purplemountainproducts.com Scandinavian J Nutrition, 3/05 J Nutr, 3/06 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.