Subject: Garlic 4/4

From: [email-masked] (Pete Samsons)
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 16:41:17 GMT

A really short bit on Garlic:

WHAT IS GARLIC?

Garlic belongs to the Allium or lily family.  Onions, leeks,
scallions, and shallots are also members of this family.  The
garlic plant is unusual in that the bulb is actually a collection
of small bulbs which are called cloves.  The average clove
contains seven calories, vitamins B1, 2 and 3 and vitamin C, plus
the minerals calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, selenium,
manganese, zinc, germanium and copper.  According to an article
in  Natural Foods Merchandiser' it contains all eight essential
amino acids and the highest sulfur content of all the vegetables.

It is the more than 18 sulfur compounds found in garlic which
give it that characteristic pungency.  At least one of these
compounds is water soluble.  This means that when large
quantities of raw garlic are consumed the odor of the "stinking
rose" is carried in perspiration and on the breath.

When garlic is crushed alliin, a sulfur containing amino acid, is
affected by a particular garlic enzyme and becomes allicin. 
Allicin is believed to be largely responsible for garlic's
anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.  The Merck Index, a
nationally respected encyclopedia of chemicals and drugs lists
allicin as an anti-microbial.

Besides sulfur garlic also contains the highest level of the
mineral selenium of any plant.  It is believed that this high
level of biologically active selenium may account for garlic's
anti-atherosclerotic property.  Although selenium has long been
recognized as necessary for livestock health, it was not until
the late 70s that some researchers began to believe that selenium
might also protect against human heart attack, stroke,
hypertension and cancer.

Garlic is also one of the best natural sources of germanium.
Germanium is the latest discovery on the mineral hit parade.  It
is found in any natural substances famous for their healing
effects.  Along with garlic these include ginseng, comfrey and
aloe vera.  Dr. Kazukhiko Asai has devoted years of his life to
germanium research and has hailed it as a miracle cure for
everything from headaches to life threatening conditions.

About fifteen years ago the late Paavo Airola reported the work
of a Russian electrobiologist, Professor Gurwitch.  The professor
discovered that garlic emits a peculiar type of ultraviolet
radiation called mitogenetic radiation.  Now called Gurwitch rays
these emissions "have the property of stimulating cell growth and
activity and have a rejuvenative effect on all body functions."

It seems likely that a naurtal substance as complex as garlic
still holds many mysteries for science to unravel.

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From: [email-masked] ("K N and P J Harris")
Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 08:31:30 GMT

Garlic - UV radiation and germanium - WOW!
No quibbles with the great properties of garlic (actually I just like 
the taste) but where are the facts.
Here we have germanium again, no figures as usual, is there 5percent 
more germanium in garlic than, say onions, or 500 percent or what ? Why 
on earth do people soak up these statements without questioning them.
As for the "mitogenic UV radiation" - how come the poor old garlic 
hasn't mutated itself out of existence ? (or maybe this is how garlic 
works - it has so much mitogenic radiation that WE mutate and our 
condition (whatever) can no longer affect us - neat!).
Seriously, I think I know how the story originated as will anyone who 
has ever been involved with autoradiography. Photographic film is 
sensitive to other things than light, whether visible or UV or IR. Put a 
piece of film up against (or even in an enclosed box) with something as 
rich in volatiles as garlic and I will bet that something from the 
garlic will react chemically with the film - when developed it will LOOK 
as though some strange radiation has been at work.

Peter Harris, Reading, UK. 

Trying to stop herbalists from screwing up herbalism 8-)