<<Print>>

Garlic (Allium sativum), an herb used widely as a flavoring in cooking, has also been used as a medicine throughout ancient and modern history to prevent and treat a wide range of conditions and diseases. Below are examples of some scientific studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals about the therapeutic benefits (or not) of garlic. Lung cancer risk People who ate raw garlic at least twice a week had a 44% lower risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study carried out at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China. The researchers, who published their study in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, had carried out face-to-face interviews with 1,424 lung cancer patients as well as 4,543 healthy individuals. They were asked about their diet and lifestyle habits, which included questions on their smoking habits and how often they ate garlic. The study authors wrote �Protective association between intake of raw garlic and lung cancer has been observed with a dose-response pattern, suggesting that garlic may potentially serve as a chemo-preventive agent for lung cancer.� Brain cancer Organo-sulfur compounds found in garlic have been identified as effective in destroying the cells in glioblastomas, a type of deadly brain tumor. Scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina reported in the journal Cancer that three pure organo-sulfur compounds from garlic � DAS, DADS and DATS � �demonstrated efficacy in eradicating brain cancer cells, but DATS proved to be the most effective�. Co-author, Ray Swapan, Ph.D., said �This research highlights the great promise of plant-originated compounds as natural medicine for controlling the malignant growth of human brain tumor cells,� Ray said. �More studies are needed in animal models of brain tumors before application of this therapeutic strategy to brain tumor patients.� Hip osteoarthritis Women whose diets were rich in allium vegetables had lower levels of osteoarthritis, a team at King�s College London and the University of East Anglia, both in England, reported in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. Examples of allium vegetables include garlic, leeks, shallots, onions and rakkyo. The study authors said their findings not only highlighted the possible impact of diet on osteoarthritis outcomes, but also demonstrated the potential for using compounds that exist in garlic to develop treatments for the condition. The long-term study, involving more than 1,000 healthy female twins, found that those whose dietary habits included plenty of fruit and vegetables, �particularly alliums such as garlic�, had fewer signs of early osteoarthritis in the hip joint. Potentially a powerful antibiotic Diallyl sulfide, a compound in garlic, was 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics in fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, according to a study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The Campylobacter bacterium is one of the most common causes of intestinal infections. Senior author, Dr. Xiaonan Lu, from Washington State University, said �This work is very exciting to me because it shows that this compound has the potential to reduce disease-causing bacteria in the environment and in our food supply.�