Five ways garlic can extend your life

When Bram Stoker first wrote “Dracula” in the late 1890s and included a superstition some Europeans believed about using garlic externally to protect themselves from evil spirits, other residents at that time already knew which menaces garlic was actually the most effective against: bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, settlers were learning from the Cherokee nation and other tribes how to use garlic as a medicine for a variety of illnesses, including as an expectorant for coughs and the croup and as a cure for scurvy.

But the use of garlic as a medicinal ingredient dates back even farther than these events. For instance, archeologists discovered evidence of garlic among the treasures within Pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb from
1323 B.C., and linguists found references to garlic in prescriptions written on Sumerian tablets dating back to approximately 2300 B.C. There also are dozens of documented cases concerning garlic's benefits from the past century, but many medical professionals still regard its healing qualities as trivial.

Health experts who are receptive to the possibilities of complementary medicine and natural ingredients, however, refer to garlic as one of the best medicinal plants available because of its unique combination of protective compounds and the way in which it boosts our immune system's natural defenses.

Unfortunately, people tend to avoid garlic because of its tendency to cause bad breath. Experts recommend chewing on a sprig or two of fresh parsley after eating garlic to minimize its effect on breath. (Parsley also is good at disposing of bacteria inside mouths and protecting teeth and gums.) For best results, eat parsley fresh when it's the most potent (or when including it in a recipe, only add it toward the very end of your cooking time). For garlic breath that's more severe, experts suggest chewing fresh cardamom seeds.

Another way to make garlic more appealing is to try different methods of preparing and cooking it (more on this in a moment). Before delving into garlic preparation, however, let's consider the five ways you can use garlic to live a long and healthy life.

1. Cardiac health aide. In his book “Spontaneous Healing,” Dr. Andrew Weil, director of the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine and founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine in Tucson, says,
“Some of [garlic's] most dramatic effects are on the cardiovascular system. It lowers blood pressure by more than one mechanism, mimicking some of the newest antihypertensive drugs without their tendency to cause impotence, headaches, and other toxic effects.”

In addition, because garlic acts as a natural blood thinner and improves circulation, it reduces the risk of clot formations and decreases the dangers leading to heart attacks and strokes.

2. Cancer warrior. Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, neuroscientist and clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and co-founder and director of the Centre for Integrative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, wrote “Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life” after battling malignant brain tumors twice.

Servan-Schreiber says he believes that changing his diet was the biggest factor toward improving his health. In
“Anti-Cancer,” Servan-Screiber says, “The sulfur compounds of [the garlic] family (the 'alliaceous' family) reduce the carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines and N-nitroso compounds, which are created in overgrilled meat and during tobacco combustion. They promote apoptosis (cell death) in colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancer, as well as in leukemia.”

In his book, Servan-Schreiber also says, “Moreover, all the herbs in this family help to regulate blood sugar levels. This, in turn, reduces insulin secretion and IGF [insulin-like growth factor], and thus the growth of cancer cells.”

3. Antiseptic champion. Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, is well-known for his significant discoveries during the 1800s regarding disease causes and prevention. In 1858, Pasteur recognized garlic's strength as an antiseptic and presented proof that garlic destroys bacteria.

Many years later, during World War I and World War II, soldiers put garlic on their bandages to prevent infections, especially when there was a shortage of supplies and antibiotics.

On his Web site (www.drweil.com), Weil states, “What's more, raw garlic is a potent antibiotic that is especially active against fungal infections. It has immune-stimulating properties as well as antibacterial and antiviral effects.” Therefore, many people use it to treat ear infections, athlete's foot, and other related conditions.

4. Immune system booster. Dr. Leo Galland, director of The Foundation for Integrated Medicine and author of “The Four Pillars Of Healing,” recommends 10 grams of garlic (three small cloves) per day to achieve significant results. In his book, he says, “Among the spices that protect normal intestinal permeability, garlic has the greatest immune-enhancing effect, stimulating activity of natural killer cells in healthy people and in people with AIDS.

“In one study, AIDS patients taking five to ten grams of aged garlic (equivalent to two to three small cloves) per day developed normal natural killer cell activity after twelve weeks, which was associated with clinical improvement.”

And when exposure to allergens causes an immune system to overreact in its production of histamines, garlic can ease these systems, too. Garlic also acts as an antioxidant and a combatant against free radical damage.

5. Repiratory regulator. Like the Cherokee nation who shared medicinal uses for garlic with others, hundreds of people nowadays tout garlic's impressive ability to fight colds, coughs, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, and other respiratory infections.

Weil frequently mentions his own home remedy for colds in his books and online articles: “When I feel a cold coming on, I chop a few cloves of garlic a day into my food. The idea is to eat raw garlic at the first onset of symptoms. A clove or two a day is recommended for people who suffer from chronic or recurrent infections, frequent yeast infections, or low resistance to colds and flu.”

Proper Preparation
To get the most out of garlic's healing properties, Dr. Denis Gingras, researcher in the Molecular Medicine Laboratory at UQAM-Sainte-Justine Hospital and University of Quebec at Montreal, and Dr. Richard Beliveau, biochemistry professor and chair in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer at the University of Quebec at Montreal and director of Molecular Medicine Laboratory at UQAM-Sainte-Justine Hospital, include cooking preparation instructions in their book, “Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer.”

In the book, Beliveau and Gingras recommend preparing garlic by “crushing the whole cloves with the flat of a large knife, and then waiting 10 minutes before chopping them or putting them through the garlic press. In this way, the molecules that occupy different compartments in the clove come into contact with one another and become active.”

Servan-Schreiber suggests letting a garlic clove assimilate by dissolving it in a little oil. The healthiest oils are extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed) and canola oil.

On the other hand, Weil says garlic loses its medicinal value if users cook it too much and let it dry out too long. He advises people to add garlic last when including it in a recipe that requires cooking.

Regarding commercial garlic supplements, Weil warns against them because he says their manufacturers are unable to preserve the full activity of a fresh garlic bulb and somehow capture it in pill form.

Other Considerations
There's a slight chance that some people might be allergic to garlic or take medication that's sensitive to garlic, but these situations are rare.

As noted earlier, garlic regulates blood sugar levels, which is not only effective in fighting cancer, but it's also beneficial in coping with diabetes complications. Even so, medical experts advise insulin-dependent diabetics to seek advice from their physicians regarding garlic consumption because it can interfere with diabetes medications.

In addition, garlic may create a temporary problem for people undergoing surgeries or receiving extensive dental work because it serves as a natural blood thinner. Plus, if you have a bleeding disorder, garlic obviously presents a much bigger problem for you. Again, consult your physician if you have any questions.

Buy It Local, Buy It Fresh
Even with all the family farms in the Pacific Northwest, we still routinely see garlic in stores' produce departments that's imported from China and other countries, which also means that the garlic likely underwent a chemical process to preserve it—and unfortunately, destroy some of its healthy qualities—for such a long trip. Be careful and always check the labels. Buying fresh garlic grown locally not only helps area residents and our own immune system, it also tastes much, much better.

by Kimberly S. Fitzke

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