Garlic doth have power to save from death
Bear with it though it maketh unsavory breath,
And scorn not garlic like some that think
It only maketh men wink and drink and stink.

--Sir John Harington (1561-1612), English author

Folklore has long extolled garlic for its ability to ward off disease, evil spirits, and even vampires. While scientists can't vouch for the herb's supernatural powers, they have begun investigating its purported health benefits. Their findings so far have been nothing short of remarkable.

Hundreds of studies unequivocally confirm what ancient herbalists empirically divined: Garlic is among the most potent preventive and therapeutic agents around. The odorous bulb contains literally hundreds of compounds that defend cells against attack by marauding free radicals and block the development of heart disease, cancer, and numerous other life-shortening ailments.

Medicine from Nature

Garlic is a member of the lily family, a group of plants that also includes onions, shallots, leeks, and chives. There are at least 88 species of garlic worldwide, 68 of which can be found in the United States. The herb goes by the botanical name Allium sativum (meaning, appropriately, "all pungent"), but aficionados simply refer to it as the stinking rose.

When cut, grated, pressed, crushed, or chewed, fresh garlic releases enzymes that in turn trigger a cascade of chemical reactions inside the body. All this activity results in the formation of more than 200 phytochemical compounds, each of which possesses impressive medicinal powers.

Garlic seems especially adept at curtailing the cellular damage inflicted by air pollutants, pesticides, and other toxins. Part of the credit goes to those antioxidant phytochemicals, which can neutralize any free radicals generated by the toxins. But just as important are garlic's sulfur-containing amino acids. Cysteine is one. It latches onto substances such as cadmium, lead, and mercury and ushers them out of the body. In doing so, cysteine stops these poisons from overburdening the liver, which is responsible for detoxifying the blood.

Arginine is another amino acid--though not the kind that contains sulfur--found in abundance in garlic. Arginine supports Renewal in several ways. It stimulates the release of growth hormone, which has been shown to extend life span; it strengthens the immune system; and it helps remove ammonia, a toxic by-product of protein metabolism. Nutrition-minded doctors may prescribe arginine to treat liver disease and increase sperm production.

Rediscovering an Ancient Remedy

Garlic can claim a long and varied history as an herbal remedy. Over the course of 6,000 years, the herb has been used to treat an incredible array of conditions ranging from the common cold to atherosclerosis (hardening and clogging of the arteries).

According to records dating back to 3748 b.c., Egyptian slaves--in what must have been one of the world's first labor strikes--refused to continue building the Great Pyramid of Cheops until they received their daily ration of garlic. The Romans believed that garlic increased strength and so gave it to both slaves and soldiers. Physicians in India and China used the herb for cleaning wounds and treating headache, fever, dysentery, and cholera. The Phoenicians and Vikings carried it on their sea voyages as medicine for a variety of ills.

The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed garlic as an antibiotic for pneumonia and skin infections. The Roman poet Virgil, in his Second Idyll, suggested that garlic be used for snakebite. And the Roman scholar Pliny, in his Historica Naturalis, recommended garlic for tumors, asthma, convulsions, gastrointestinal disorders, madness, consumption (tuberculosis), scorpion stings, and dog bites.

Other historical documents credit garlic for providing protection against the ravages of the bubonic plague. In France in 1721, four condemned criminals who were ordered to bury victims of the plague surprised everyone, including themselves, by not succumbing to the disease. Their enhanced immunity was attributed to their regular consumption of garlic steeped in wine. The French folk remedy vinaigre des quatre voleurs, or four thieves vinegar, is named in their honor.

In 1858, French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur found that garlic juice killed bacteria when applied to microbes in culture dishes. He reported on garlic's antibacterial effects in the medical literature of the day. Decades later, during World Wars I and II, physicians employed garlic as an antibiotic to prevent soldiers' wounds from becoming gangrenous. And French physician Albert Schweitzer used the herb to treat dysentery during his missionary work in Africa.

The Herb for a Healthy Heart

Pasteur's and Schweitzer's work with garlic finally brought the herb some recognition and legitimacy in the eyes of the Western medical community. Time and scientific study would ultimately validate garlic's diverse medicinal uses.

For instance, modern research has confirmed the claim made by ancient Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides that "garlic doth clear the arteries." Indeed, garlic, along with onions and other members of the lily family, imposes a spectacular spectrum of beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system.

When fatty deposits, or plaque, remain on arterial walls, they narrow the vessels to the point where blood can no longer pass through. The combination of plaque and blood clots, or thromboses, effectively shuts off the blood supply. Blockage of an artery that feeds the heart muscle causes a heart attack. If the obstructed artery feeds the brain, the result is a stroke.

The actual symptoms in people who suffer heart attacks, strokes, and other so-called vascular incidents arise not from the blockage itself but rather from the lack of blood supply to tissues downstream from the blockage. Doctors use the term ischemia to describe the obstructed blood supply and accompanying oxygen deprivation that occur in these sorts of medical emergencies.

In healthy individuals, garlic prevents the fatty buildup that leads to atherosclerosis. And in those who already have atherosclerosis, garlic--reinforced by a diet free of animal-derived foods and by a comprehensive supplement program and regular aerobic exercise--accelerates the removal of fatty deposits from arterial walls and actually reverses arterial damage.

Are You at Risk?

The arterial plaque that sets the stage for heart attacks and strokes comes from cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body, which manufactures it, and animal-derived foods. But most people--including most physicians--fail to realize one important fact: While dietary cholesterol and saturated fat raise blood cholesterol levels, so do sugar, alcohol, and excessive numbers of calories.

Still, cholesterol levels are at best imprecise indicators of atherosclerosis risk. In fact, they can be highly misleading. A person who has a "healthy" total cholesterol reading may develop a false sense of security and indulge in unhealthy behaviors, such as eating animal-derived foods and becoming sedentary. Even though high cholesterol increases the likelihood of developing atherosclerotic diseases, low cholesterol does not guarantee immunity. Heart attacks, strokes, and the hardened arteries of senile brain disease affect millions of people with "healthy" total cholesterol levels. About half of all people who experience heart attacks have cholesterol readings deemed normal by medical standards.

What I'm driving at here is this: If you adopt preventive measures such as eating garlic, you have an excellent chance of defying atherosclerosis and living longer than you ever thought possible. Conversely, if you choose to indulge in unhealthy behaviors, your risk of atherosclerosis certainly increases, whether or not your total cholesterol level does.

Defense on All Fronts

Garlic offers broad-spectrum protection against atherosclerosis and the heart attacks, strokes, and other vascular incidents that usually result from it. What amazes me about the herb--and convinces me of its potential to preserve cardiovascular health--is its positive influence on all of the major risk factors associated with atherosclerosis.

Among garlic's known benefits: It lowers total cholesterol, "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (another type of blood fat). It raises "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. It discourages platelets, the blood cells that support coagulation, from becoming sticky. As long as platelets remain slippery, they won't participate in the abnormal clotting that leads to arterial blockages. Garlic also inhibits clot formation by increasing what doctors call fibrinolytic activity. Fibrin is a blood protein that aggregates into threads, which then form a clot. Fibrinolytic activity is the breakdown of a clot before it gets big enough to cause trouble by obstructing arterial blood flow.

Research has suggested that garlic blocks clot formation more effectively than aspirin, which many doctors recommend as a heart attack preventive. The herb also helps the body dissolve existing clots--something that aspirin can't do. Garlic has other advantages over aspirin: It is a natural food substance, not a drug; it doesn't cause stomach irritation; and it protects the heart and blood vessels in a variety of ways rather than providing just one basic benefit.

Scrubbing Arteries Clean

Given the choice between preventing atherosclerosis and treating it, I'd take prevention any day. Keeping blood vessels healthy in the first place is clearly preferable to mopping up the mess after atherosclerosis sets in.

Still, garlic does a miraculous job of salvaging damaged arteries. In fact, if consumed daily over a period of several months, garlic can actually reverse atherosclerosis. This benefit alone makes garlic worthy of inclusion in the Anti-Aging Supplement Program, especially when you consider that atherosclerosis is responsible for more premature deaths than any other disease.

In one study, researchers made rabbits' arteries atherosclerotic by feeding them large quantities of cholesterol and fat. The researchers found that they could reduce the amount of arterial hardening in the rabbits by feeding them the human equivalent of a one- to two-ounce garlic bulb every day. By the end of the study, the garlic-fed rabbits had less than half as many plaques in their arteries as a group of rabbits that hadn't been fed garlic.

Of course, rabbits are animals. Could garlic have the same effect in humans? According to another study, yes.

In this study, Indian researchers divided 432 post-heart attack patients into two groups. One group received daily garlic supplements, while the other received placebos. Over three years, the garlic-takers experienced 60 percent fewer heart attacks than the placebo-takers and enjoyed lower blood pressures and blood cholesterol levels. By the end of the study, twice as many placebo-takers had died.

Members of the garlic group not only lived longer but also felt better, too. They reported enhanced energy, increased libido, greater exercise tolerance, and less joint pain. Since garlic's benefits became more pronounced the longer the patients took supplements, the researchers concluded that the herb worked by dissolving atherosclerotic blockages in the coronary arteries.

Garlic stops the formation of new blockages, and thus holds atherosclerosis at bay, by keeping blood cholesterol levels in check. Some of the most provocative research into the relationship between garlic and cholesterol has been conducted by Benjamin Lau, M.D., Ph.D., professor of immunology at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California.

In one study, Dr. Lau selected 32 people with significant elevations in their cholesterol levels (which ranged from 220 to 440 milligrams per deciliter of blood) and divided them into two groups. One group received four capsules of aged garlic per day, while the other group received placebos. The study subjects had their cholesterol and triglycerides measured monthly.

After two months, the garlic-takers' readings had actually increased, much to Dr. Lau's surprise and dismay. Another month went by before their readings began to drop. Finally, after six months, most of the garlic-takers had cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the "normal" range. The placebo-takers showed no changes in their cholesterol and triglyceride readings, as expected.

In a subsequent study, Dr. Lau focused on low-density lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, both of which are considered risk factors for atherosclerosis. A similar pattern emerged: People who took garlic supplements initially showed increases in their LDL and VLDL levels, then significant drops three months later. (Levels of HDL, which protects against atherosclerosis, gradually rose over the six months.)

After considerable reflection, Dr. Lau realized that for the first two months of each study, garlic had been dissolving arterial plaques and moving the cholesterol that they contain into the bloodstream. This process caused temporary rises in cholesterol levels. With time, the fatty slough was removed from the bloodstream, so cholesterol levels finally declined. The lesson from all this: Garlic supplements won't improve your cholesterol profile overnight. Months may pass before you see results.

Research has also shown that the more garlic you take, the greater the change in your cholesterol reading. In one study, Indian researchers compared three groups of vegetarians with essentially identical diets. The group that consumed large amounts of garlic had an average total cholesterol level of 159, the lowest of all three groups. The group that ate small amounts of garlic had an average total cholesterol level of 172--higher, but still acceptable. The group that consumed no garlic at all had the highest average cholesterol level: 208. Those who spurned garlic were also most prone to blood clots, another risk factor for atherosclerosis.

Unparalleled Protection against Cancer

Garlic's disease-fighting ability extends beyond atherosclerosis. For instance, the herb has proven quite effective at defending the body against a broad spectrum of cancers, including those of the breasts, colon, rectum, bladder, skin, and esophagus.

Note: While garlic helps prevent cancer, it does not cure the disease and should not be used as a treatment.

Research suggests that garlic thwarts the development of cancer in several ways. For instance, studies at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Pennsylvania State University, and other major U.S. medical centers indicate that certain compounds in garlic block the action of carcinogens within the body. Other studies suggest that the herb inhibits the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells and prevents already formed cancer cells from replicating. Still other studies postulate that garlic stimulates natural killer cells, immune cells that attack and destroy cancer cells.

Then, too, garlic contains abundant supplies of an array of antioxidant phytochemicals. These compounds neutralize free radicals before they have an opportunity to inflict damage on cells and, in particular, on the DNA housed in a cell's nucleus. As you'll recall from chapter 3, fractured DNA can lead to genetic mutation and uncontrolled cell division--the precursors to cancer.

Chemical Weapons

Government scientists have taken a great interest in garlic's anticancer effects. A team at the National Cancer Institute is working to isolate the compounds that make the herb such a potent preventive.

Among those compounds is germanium, a mineral that has gained fame, at least in nutritional circles, for its immune-enhancing properties. Garlic contains an abundant supply of germanium: 754 parts per million.

In the body, germanium stimulates the production of interferon, a powerful immune-enhancing chemical. Interferon improves the function of immune cells called T-lymphocytes (which destroy free radical-forming substances) and B lymphocytes (which manufacture antibodies). It also boosts the activity of natural killer cells. All of these cells work together to block the growth of cancer as well as viruses.

Potent Protection

While government scientists put garlic under the microscope, other scientists in this country and around the world are turning up equally persuasive evidence of the herb's protective effects.

Here in the United States, for example, researchers at the Akbar Clinic and Research Institute in Panama City, Florida, found that regular garlic consumption stepped up the destruction of cancer cells. Volunteers who ate garlic every day for three weeks had 1½ times as much cancer cell-killing activity in their blood when the study ended. The dramatic increase is important because the human body constantly produces cancer cells that must be destroyed by natural killer cells.

In China, researchers found that regions of the country in which people consumed garlic regularly had one-tenth as many cases of gastric cancer as regions in which people consumed no garlic. Why the difference? One possible explanation: Garlic stops the transformation of nitrates into highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Better Than Medicine?

Garlic's benefits don't end with atherosclerosis reversal and cancer prevention, although they alone make for an impressive résumé. The herb also fends off all kinds of disease-causing microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. In fact, garlic has been referred to as Russian penicillin because the Russian people use it as an antibiotic to treat infections of all sorts.

Garlic works especially well against fungal infections. In my practice, I usually prescribe garlic supplements to patients with intestinal candidiasis, a yeast infection that is caused by the fungus Candida albicans and that suppresses immune function. C. albicans can also take up residence in the skin, the vaginal area, and the mouth (a condition known as thrush).

Athlete's foot is another type of fungal infection. It, too, responds well to garlic therapy. Simply apply garlic oil directly to the affected areas.

Besides killing "bad bugs," garlic increases the body's natural resistance to infection by reinforcing the immune system. In my family, which plays host to a seemingly endless succession of viruses unintentionally brought home by two young children, all of us take lots of garlic (both as a food and as deodorized capsules) as well as extra vitamin C and liberal doses of the herb echinacea (which has antibiotic, immune-boosting properties). The combination has done wonders for us. Most times we completely escape the cold and flu epidemics that run through the rest of the community. And on those rare occasions when we do get sick, we experience a much milder version of the illness compared with our neighbors.

Getting the Most from Garlic

In this chapter, I've discussed using garlic in both its fresh and supplement forms. Use whichever form you find most convenient. Both are entirely safe and nontoxic.

To prevent atherosclerosis, cancer, and other life-shortening diseases, I recommend consuming two to four cloves of fresh garlic or taking two to eight 250-milligram garlic capsules daily. If you're incorporating fresh garlic into your meals, keep in mind that steaming and microwaving preserve the herb's phytochemicals better than cooking at higher temperatures.

To treat infections like colds or the flu in the early, acute phase, increase your dosage to 12 cloves a day or four capsules three or even four times a day. Dosing garlic in this way quickly boosts tissue levels of the herb's healing compounds. You may also want to try teaming up garlic with vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea. They work synergistically with the herb to produce immune-stimulating and antibiotic effects.

Selecting a Supplement

These days, health food stores and many drugstores carry an array of garlic supplements. Which one should you choose? Well, that depends on whom you ask. Nutrition experts continue to debate whether aged garlic extracts (such as Kyolic) are superior to standardized high-allicin extracts (such as Garlicin Pro).

Aging is a method of preserving garlic. It was developed thousands of years ago by Chinese herbalists, who found that "steeping" garlic in vinegar for a few years actually increased the herb's potency. A Japanese company reinvented the process in the 1950s. In the modern version, organically grown garlic is placed in large vats of vinegar for two years.

Proponents say that aging the garlic in this way enhances the herb's antioxidant properties, prevents the rapid deterioration of important compounds, and removes the odor as well as irritants that might cause stomach upset.

Indeed, if you're concerned about garlic breath, an aged extract or enteric-coated tablet is the way to go. If you're treating an infection of some kind, a standardized high-allicin extract is the better choice. Aging destroys garlic's antibiotic properties.

And if your main concern is preventing heart disease or cancer, you can choose either an aged extract or a high-allicin extract. Both work equally well. How can you tell the difference between these two types of garlic supplements? Read the labels--products should be clearly marked.

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Now that you're familiar with the anti-aging herbs, let's move on to the next category of the Anti-Aging Supplement Program: the brain nutrients.