Subject: FAQ: Garlic

From: [email-masked] (Lance Sanders)
Date: 9 Jun 1993 09:12:15 -0500

[Excerpts from ChemTao: Synergies In The Life Sciences v2.0 (c) 1990 LKS]

Foodstuffs --- Garlic
---------------------

Active Compounds
----------------

   Garlic (and onions, members of the plant genus allium - all of which 
are rich in sulfur compounds) contains large amounts of organic sulfides 
--- extraordinary antibiotics and anti-carcinogens. 
   One of the most powerful, diallyl sulfide, was also found to protect 
animals from the cancerous transformation of cells with doses just four 
hours before they were exposed to a potent carcinogen, dimethyl 
hydrazine. 

   There are more than 30 compounds and elements in garlic (among roughly 
400 constituent compounds) which influence body function: minerals such 
as selenium and germanium; amino acids such as glutathione, methionine 
and cysteine; amino alkyl sulfoxides, allin; disulfide oxides, allicin; 
deoxidized sulfide, disulfide and sulfhydryl-bearing compounds such as 
diallyldisulfide, S-allyl cysteine and the oxide of trithia-dodecatriene, 
ajoene. 

[ George Barany, chemist at the U. of Minnesota, reports that ajoene is as 
  potent as aspirin in preventing sticky red blood platelets from clumping 
  together. Related factors lengthen clotting time, while others actually 
  dissolve clots. All three effects can impact on heart attack and stroke 
  prevention. ]

   National Cancer Institute nutritionist Elaine Lanza:
   "There is still a big interest in the area of fat and fiber, but right 
now, there is more emphasis on the idea of trace compounds, non-nutrients 
in vegetables and fruits that work against tumor formation." 
   "Garlic tops the list as a source of these trace elements or 
micronutrients." 

   Dr. Herbert Pierson, a toxicologist who (until recently) headed the 
National Cancer Institute's "designer foods" program: 
   "Garlic is a veritable pharmacopeia. That's why garlic has been found 
in every medical book of every culture ever. For thousands of years, 
garlic has been used for the treatment and prevention of disease. So 
there has to be something there." 
   "A huge data base exists documenting health benefits ranging from 
cardiovascular effects to cancer inhibition, from the slowing down of aging 
to the detoxification of heavy metals and other poisonous chemical 
susbstances."

   John Laszlo of the American Cancer Society:
   "This line of research is legitimate."

   Garlic's sulfur compounds structures contain S-S and S-H groups 
typical of major enzymes and hormones which regulate body function and 
body response to nutrients and drugs. [ see: "The Chemistry of Garlic and 
Onions, Dr. Eric Block; Scientific American, vol. 252: pg 114-119, March, 
1985 ] 

   Propyline sulfide, a garlic and onion extract found to be mildly 
effective against tumors, acts on the enzyme liposaminase, thought to be 
related to cancer development if not properly controlled. 

   Dr. Benjamin H.S. Lau of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, 
suggested in 1992 that garlic is a "biological response modifier", i.e., 
it increases the body's defenses against cancer. 
   Lau's research found that garlic's sulfur compounds boost the activity 
of macrophages and T-lymphocytes, immune system components that are 
summoned to destroy tumors.

   Garlic contains a series of natural antioxidants that may help to 
explain its strong anticancer and antitumor activity. Antioxidants disarm 
reactive body chemicals that can trigger the onset of cancer. By 
inhibiting the harmful action of oxygen (impacting on free radical 
activity), garlic possibly limits cell membrane damage, which is one 
mechanism in the aging process. 
   Bioflavonoids, the same anticarcinogens found in cruciferae (cabbage, 
cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc.) and citrus, are also present in 
garlic. 

   Garlic lowers harmful triglycerides, cholesterol (LDL and VLDL) and 
blood pressure.

[ A study of three groups in the Jain religious sect of India found 
  members who consumed more than a pound of onions and at least 17 garlic 
  cloves weekly. They all showed low blood levels of triglycerides and 
  cholesterol. The orthodox members that abstained from allium consumption 
  all their lives showed the opposite effect: high triglyceride and 
  cholesterol levels. Values for a group on a moderate diet fell somewhere
  in between. ]

[ In 1990, David Kritchevsky of the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology 
  in Philedelphia found that garlic or garlic oil inhibits lab-induced 
  arteriosclerosis in rabbits. ]

[ In 1992, researchers at the University of Munich in Germany isolated six 
  garlic compounds that lower blood cholesterol in animals by blocking liver 
  production. (This is essentially the same way new drugs such as Mevacor 
  reduce cholesterol in humans.)
  The garlic suppressed cholesterol formation by approx. 50% in test 
  animals. ]

   Garlic also shifts the LDL-HDL lipoprotein ratio in a favorable 
direction, reduces dangerous blood clotting, helps in the treatment of 
diabetes, opens airways and alleviates asthma, and neutralizes many 
environmental toxins (mercury and lead among them - garlic's sulfur 
molecules are highly reactive and bind with heavy metals). 

   A common thread among the garlic compounds is that they act upon 
prostaglandins, fatty acids in the body that regulate blood pressure, 
metabolism, temperature, fertility and cell division. 
   In conditions such as cancer, asthma and excessive clot formation, 
prostaglandin activity becomes rampant. Garlic and onion compounds 
interfere with this process.

   Dr. Pierson: "It appears from biopsies that the prostaglandins that 
stimulate cell division are the bad guys in our bodies. What garlic and 
onions do is alter the way that prostaglandins are made so they don't get 
out of control, causing runaway cell division." 

Allicin
-------

   One component of garlic, allicin (less potent than penicillin in its 
natural form), attacks (moderate doses hinder; larger doses kill) more 
than 23 kinds of bacteria, including staph and salmonella, as well as 60 
types of fungi and yeasts, is effective against all of the 17 most 
dangerous fungi (Candida albicans included - a frequent cause of 
vaginitis), expels tapeworms, and restores sensation in areas affected by 
leprosy. 

   Dr. Byron Murray, prof. of microbiology at Brigham Young University 
has seen allicin immobilize 90 percent of a virus in a laboratory dish 
within 30 minutes. Allicin is known to destroy viruses that cause herpes 
and upper respiratory infection. 

   Allicin, the main active principle in garlic (and the first compound 
formed after a clove is crushed), is produced through the combination of 
the amino acid alliin and the enzyme allinase. Thus, garlic cloves that 
have been chopped, squeezed or mashed have demonstrably greater health 
benefits than extracts from whole, unprocessed cloves.
   [ The green sprout in many cloves of garlic is a prime source
     of allicin, although it may add a "harsh" flavor to foods. ]

   Most odorless, and other preparations of capsuled garlic, retain 
digestive and blood health properties, but do not retain antibacterial 
and antifungal components. 

Research
--------

   Studies performed at Anderson Hospital in Houston by biologist Michael 
Wargovich disclosed that mice developed 75% fewer tumors when given 
diallyl sulfide prior to exposure to a colon-specific carcinogen. When 
the study was repeated using a carcinogen that affects the esophagus, the 
results were even more dramatic.
   Dr. Wargovich: 
   "We were shocked at the end of that experiment. Even though the 
garlic-treated animals were exposed to one of the most potent carcinogens 
around, NOT ONE GOT CANCER. We believe diallyl sulfide triggers the liver 
to detoxify carcinogens." 
   "This is no longer nutritional-food-store stuff. At our hospital, two 
cancer research sections, gastrointestinal and head and neck, have 
committed themselves to garlic chemopreventive studies. We realize that 
this presents a roadblock to a lot of tumors, and a lot of specialists in 
early cancers now consider this the way to go. It's really exciting." 

   Similar studies by Penn State University, American Health Foundation 
in Valhalla, NY, Lee Wattenberg and George Barany at the U. of Minnesota, 
and Sidney Belman at the New York University Medical Center, which found 
that garlic-derived sulfur compounds inhibited tumors of the stomach and 
skin, are supportive of Dr. Wargovich's findings. 

   C.S. Yang, at the Laboratory for Cancer Research at Rutgers 
University's College of Pharmacy (Piscataway, NJ), injected rats with 
NNK, a substance found in cigarette smoke. Those animals pretreated with 
an oral dose of diallyl sulfide had a greatly reduced incidence of lung 
cancer. 

   The American Chemical Society, at an August, 1992 meeting in 
Washington, concluded that, although the anti-cancer potential of garlic 
(as well as soy sauce and cruciferae) compounds in humans was not known, 
consumption probably had a beneficial effect. 

   A National Cancer Institute study published in the 01/15/89 issue of 
the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that allium 
vegetables can significantly reduce the incidence of stomach cancer. 

   Questionaires handed out in Linqu, China, compared the dietary habits 
of 685 patients with stomach cancer and 1,131 other people matched by 
age, sex, occupation and education who had no diagnosed cancer. People in 
the control, or cancer-free, group consumed from 25 to more than 50 
pounds of allium vegetables a year. The cancer patients ate less than 25 
lbs of the vegetable. 
   Conclusion? "Persons in Linqu tended to be exposed to mild doses of 
allium vegetables over long periods, likely beginning in childhood. Our 
study suggests that all or part of such exposure has resulted in a 
reduction in stomach cancer risk starting at an early age...and 
continuing throughtout life." 

   The community of Gangshan, China carried a stomach cancer rate of 3.5 
per 100,000. In nearby Quixia, the cancer rate was 10x greater. A typical 
Gangshan resident eats about seven cloves of garlic/day; Quixians rarely 
consume garlic. By yet-to-be elucidated mechanisms, garlic reduced the 
nitrites in the Gangshan residents' stomach acid, thus impacting on the 
formation of nitrosamines, known carcinogens. 

   A 1979 study also found a reduced amount of stomach cancer among 
residents of a Georgia county famous for growing vidalia onions. 

   There are planned human trials slated to start soon, among them an 
experiment headed by Sidney Belman in Japan (where the stomach cancer 
rate is among the highest in the world - thought to be due to high salt 
and nitrate content of typical Japanese diet). Dr. Belman believes garlic 
may halt the conversion of nitrites into nitrosamines, which are powerful 
carcinogens. 
   Garlic-consuming Japanese will be tested for short-range biological 
markers to see if their stomach cells are in a precancerous state.

   Dr. Jinzhou Liu, a Chinese scientist now at Pennsylvania State 
University, reported that garlic extracts were "much more effective than 
vitamin C" in blocking nitrosamine formation both in the lab and people. 

   The "First World Congress on the Health Significance of Garlic and 
Garlic Constituents", held in August, 1990 in Washington, and co-
sponsored by Pennsylvania State and the Federal Department of 
Agriculture, produced reports on garlic from 45 scientists from 15 
countries. 

   One paper, the results of a three-year study in India among 432 
coronary patients who had already suffered one heart attack, drew 
particular interest. 

   Patients were randomly divided into two groups, with one group 
receiving daily supplements of garlic juice in milk. 
   Those who took the garlic supplement had fewer additional heart 
attacks, lower blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels and were less 
likely to die during the study. 
   After three years, nearly twice as many patients had died in the group 
not taking garlic. 

   The benefits of garlic became increasingly apparent with time, 
suggesting that garlic worked by dissolving the atherosclerotic blockages 
in coronary arteries. 

[ There were also subjective benefits such as increase in vigor, energy and 
  sexual desire, improvements in exercise tolerance, and a decrease in joint 
  pains and asthmatic tendencies. ]

Effective Doses
---------------

   An amount as small as 1.8 grams of garlic results in an increase in 
natural killer lymphocyte activity---a general immune system enhancer. 

   A lot of garlic researchers are themselves consuming garlic on a 
regular basis, Drs. Belman, Wargowich and Pierson among them. 

   Dr. Belman says his cholesterol level dropped from a disturbing 296 to 
236 after he started watching his fat intake and taking three garlic 
pills/day. 

   In some parts of China, an average of five cooked cloves/day are 
consumed as part of the regular diet. 

   A recent issue of Eating Well magazine quoted a British 
endocrinologist who estimated that 7 to 28 cloves/day (or the equivalent) 
would be necessary to trigger significant drops in cholesterol and blood 
pressure. 

   Dr. Pierson believes the proper daily intake will be found to be eight 
cloves or its equivalent in capsule form. 

   Researcher Dr. Robert Lin (Nutrition International/Irvine, CA), 
expects that eating three fresh cloves of garlic/day will lower 
cholesterol an average of 10%, and up to 15% IN SOME PEOPLE. 
   Dr. Lin believes that as little as ONE crushed clove/day covers myriad 
health benefits, including chemical detoxification. 

Raw vs Cooked Garlic
--------------------

   Garlic's antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties are most 
prevalent in its raw state. 

   Ajoene, one of the most powerful anti-cholesterol compounds, is not 
damaged by heat. So cooked as well as raw garlic can lower cholesterol 
and act as a blood-thinner. 
   Ajoene's anticarcinogenic properties may also be retained [in a study 
of human cells, ajoene was found to be 3x as toxic to malignant cells as 
to normal cells]. 

   Heating garlic in a frying pan of (for example) olive oil releases 
potent painkilling compounds. 
 [Thought by many researchers to be the next 
  wave of analgesics - "the ibuprofins of the '90s".]

   Boiling garlic creates the set of sulfur compounds that can dilate the 
brochials in asthmatic individuals, and act as a decongestant, cough 
medicine and mucus regulator. 

Supplemental Formulations
-------------------------

   The odor-free supplements KYOLIC (marketed by the pharmeceutical firm 
Wakunaga of America) and Nature's Way GARLICIN, among others, appear to 
retain antibacterial and antifungal components, although NYU Medical 
Center researcher Sidney Belman feels that "the drying and deodorizing 
processes damage active oils". 

   Microbiologist Benjamin Lau (Loma Linda University/California) has 
found Kyolic can prevent tumors in animals and reduce blood cholesterol 
in human volunteers. 

   A Florida physician, Dr. Tariq Abdullah, in an unpublished study gave 
three healthy volunteers six Kyolic capsules/day, three others large 
amounts of raw garlic, and three others no garlic at all. 
   Immune system killer cell activity was measured, and after three 
weeks, Abdullah reported that "the natural killer cells of those taking 
either type of garlic were more 'vicious', killing more than twice the 
number of cancer cells in vitro than did the killer cells from the 
control group." 

   Professor John Milner and Dr. J.Z. Liu of Penn State U. reported in a 
Jan. 93 issue of Carcinogenesis, that aged garlic extract significantly 
inhibited the development of breast cancer induced by chemical 
carcinogens. 

   Studies headed by Dr. John Pinto of Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, 
disclosed that Kyolic inhibited the growth of human breast cancer cells 
in vitro. 
   Dr. Pinto: "S-Allyl cysteine and S-allyl mercaptocysteine in garlic 
are chiefly responsible for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells." 

   Dr. Robert Lin: "Combining all the evidence, it is beyond any doubt 
that adequate garlic consumption can help fight against cancers, 
including breast cancer. Aged garlic extracts contain more stable 
compounds TO WORK WITH than raw garlic." 

   A Los Alamos National Laboratory polymer scientist, Robert Hermes, by 
attaching a plastic molecule to garlic sulfides, has developed a 
synthetic garlic supplement free of odor, but retaining antibacterial, 
anticarcinogenic and cholesterol-lowering properties. 

Historical Notes
----------------

   An Egyptian medical papyrus from the 16th Century B.C. lists 22 
remedies employing garlic for everything from heart disease and worms, to 
tumors, headaches and bites. Cloves of preserved garlic were found in the 
tomb of King Tutankhamen. 
   Ancient Olympic athletes chewed it to heighten stamina.
   Aristotle, Hippocrates and Pliny touted garlic for its healing value.
   East Indians use garlic for skin ulcers and cleaning wounds.
   For centuries, the Chinese have drunk onion tea to relieve fevers, 
cholera and dysentery.

   Louis Pasteur described the antibacterial properties of garlic.
   Albert Schweitzer, deep in the jungle, mainstream pharmeceuticals 
depleted, gave his patients garlic for amoebic dysentery. 

   There are more than 300 types of garlic.
   Individual cloves are planted and push up branchless spears ("garlic" 
is from Middle English: gar = spear; leac = leek). The spears are kept 
moist until mature, then allowed to yellow and dry out. Plants are under-
cut, pulled and "cured" in the field for three weeks. 

 [ California produces 90% of the US crop ( >250 million pounds); some of 
   the best is reported to be cultivated around Gilroy, CA. ]

   In years when frost strikes garlic crops, the cloves turn out firmer 
and smoother. 

Caveats
-------

   In lab animals, large amounts of garlic can make red blood cells 
fragile, raising the risk of anemia. 
   More than 20 grams of garlic/day (approx. one bulb) can damage red
blood cells. 

   Because garlic contains irritants, people with hernias and stomach 
disorders should avoid consuming large amounts of raw garlic. 
   There are reported cases of allergic reactions or upset stomachs, and 
some volunteers on high doses have experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
   Other reported reactions from raw garlic consumption: a burning 
sensation when urinating, heartburn, flatulence and belching.

   Biochemist Sidney Belman (NY Med. Center): "In people, I haven't heard 
of any serious illness---certainly no fatalities." 

   Chemist Eric Block (State U. of NY/Albany): "There isn't much evidence 
that normal amounts of garlic are bad for you." 

   The side effects of garlic on humans appear to be minimal.

   Garlic-and-oil seasoning mixes can pose a risk of botulism if not 
refrigerated. Mixes without an acidifying agent, such as citric acid, 
should be kept in the refrigerator. Avoid commercial mixes of this type. 

Purchase / Storage
------------------

   Avoid buying heads or bulbs that are soft, spongy or shriveled; garlic 
bulbs should have plump, firm cloves still covered with papery skin. 

   Keep garlic dry, cool and exposed to the air. Do not refrigerate heads 
of garlic or store them in tightly wrapped plastic bags. 

[ Outsized heads called "elephant" garlic are not true garlic, and their 
  chief selling point is their mildness. ]

   In a proper environment, garlic heads can last six months. 

Notes
-----

   The area of naturally-occuring phytochemicals is fascinating. One 
should be aware that while elucidation of modes of action, etc. of the 
myriad compounds is on-going, specific synergies exist that can be 
exploited, now. 

   For example, it is known that garlic alters prostaglandin production, 
preventing runaway cell division. So do omega-3-fatty acids.

   Prostaglandin E2, an eicosanoid which is produced in excess by many 
forms of cancer, inhibits the immune system, allowing tumors to grow.  
Omega-3-fatty acids suppress the production of this substance. 

   Omega-3's, like garlic and other phytochemicals, also protect arteries, 
inhibit blood clots, reduce blood triglycerides, reduce the risk of stroke, 
and heart attack, lessen the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and migraine 
headache, act as an anti-inflammatory agent, regulate the immune system, 
relieve bronchial asthma and combat early kidney disease. 

[The use of farm-raised fish, lecithin, canola oil, etc. avoids the
 impacts of concentrated environmental toxins that can be found in
 fish oil capsules.]

   Results from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts 
University (Medford, Mass.), the Dept. of Microbiology at Colorado State 
U. (Fort Collins), among MANY other studies, indicate that vitamin E is a 
powerful immune system stimulator. 

   Vitamin E also appears to inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins. E, 
like garlic and C, also blocks the formation of nitrosamines. 

   Vitamin E (400 I.U. daily) also prevents low-density lipoprotein from 
becoming modified LDL. In other words, the vitamin prevents the 
conversion of harmless low-density lipoprotein into the oxidized compound 
that is recognized and ingested by macrophages (when they die, the fat-
filled macrophages accumulate into deadly arterial plaque). 
  [Hermann Esterbauer, Prof. of Biochemistry, U. of Graz, Austria; J.C. 
   Fruchart, Pasteur Institute, Lille, France; Sai R. Ramasastry, M.D., 
   medical director, Dept. of Hyperbaric Medicine, Presbyterian-University 
   Hospital, Pittsburg.] 

   Vitamin C greatly enhances the ability of vitamin E to prevent damage to 
LDL.
   [Dr. Lester Packer, molecular biologist, U. of California/Berkeley 
    (Journal of Lipid Research)]

   Exercise triggers similar protective mechanisms in the body. 
   Cardiovascular, respiratory and other benefits (some observable three 
weeks after starting a comprehensive exercise program) include: 

      * Lowering of blood pressure among hypertensives. 

      * Increase in protective, high-density lipoproteins (HDL's) and a 
        lowering of total cholesterol levels. 

      * Reduction in the amounts of triglycerides, another artery-damaging 
        type of blood fat. 

   With dietary changes made to boost varied (and regular) phytochemical 
consumption (garlic, antioxident supplementation (beta-carotene, C, E), 
cruciferous vegetables, cooked tomato products (lycopene), soybean 
products, ETC.), along with regular (and moderate) weight-bearing and 
aerobic exercise, and exclusion (to as great a degree as possible) of 
environmental toxins, "cloaked" or dorment protective mechanisms become 
manifest. 

  [For more detailed considerations, request files chmtao1-1c.txt]

---------
Lance Sanders               "Nourished by modern science and technology,
[email-masked]      this old tree (of ancient wisdom) is once
GE Mail: L.Sanders6          again blossoming elegantly." 
Vox: (312) 667-5958                                     --- Ji-Sheng Han