The Chemistry Of Garlic

Garlic is well known for its culinary and medicinal use.

It has been harvested as a crop for thousands of years. 

But what makes it such a great spice and medicine?

Did you know that if you that if your rub garlic on your feet you can then smell it in your breath?

So there is a long list of uses for garlic and I have mentioned a bunch of them is a post that I wrote on why I eat more garlic in the winter time.

But here for part of our free class on herbal medicine, I want to speak about the chemical make up and clinical studies that have been done about garlic. 

The following are the pharmacological effects that have some clinical proof to them:
•    Cancer prevention 
•    Improvement in circulation
•    Antimicrobial 
The active ingredients in garlic are sulfur containing compounds, alliin, and ajoene. 

These substances are what seems to give garlic its medicinal effects.

They seem to inhibit the aggregation of platelets by which they thin the blood and improve circulation. 

Also they seem to cause the destruction of bacteria and cancer cells.

Other effects of garlic are not yet supported by clinical tests but are known by practical experience of thousands, myself included.

Such as:
•    Treating the common cold
•    Diaphoretic
•    Expectorant
•    Antiviral
•    Antispasmodic
•    Antiseptic

Dosage: the average dose is 4 grams of fresh garlic per day (2-4 cloves). Also garlic is available in a pill and oil form and should be then used as directed on the label. 

I use garlic all the time. I eat about two cloves a day on average and even more then that when I feel that I may be getting sick.

Just this week I made a simple garlic oil for my son who was starting to get an ear infection.

Here is how I used garlic for an ear infection, it very simple and you can use this as well.

All you are going to need is a few cloves of fresh garlic, some olive oil, a few Q tips, and a small frying pan.

Chop up two or three cloves of garlic and then put them in the pan with about 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil. 

Heat the oil and garlic on a very small flame, you don’t want to fry the garlic because that would destroy the active ingredients. 

Heat the oil and garlic for about five minutes and let it cool.

Use the Q tips to put the oil in side of the ears.

Make sure that there is no pieces of garlic on the Q tips.

This may seem very simple but it really works wonders for ear infections.