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SHOT
12-24-2002, 01:33 PM
Got this from BODYBYBOB

IT IS BEST TO EAT RAW GARLIC,THE AGED GARLIC IS A WASTE OF MONEY, IF YOU NEED TO, TAKE POWDERED GARLIC IN CAPSULES,BUT RAW GARLIC IS THE BEST

Garlic

Botanical name: Allium sativum

* Botany
* Helpful for
* Traditional use
* How it works
* Amount to take
* Safety check
* References

Parts used and where grown: Garlic has been used since time immemorial as a culinary spice and medicinal herb. Garlic has been cultivated in the Middle East for more than 5,000 years and has been an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The region with the largest commercial garlic production is central California. China is also a supplier of commercial garlic. The bulb is used medicinally.


Garlic has been used in connection with the following conditions (refer to the individual health concern for complete information):
Rating Health Concerns
[3Stars] Atherosclerosis
[2Stars] Colon cancer (reduces risk of stomach, esophageal, and colon cancers)
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
Intermittent claudication
[1Star] Athlete’s foot
Chronic candidiasis
Ear infections (recurrent)
HIV support
Infection
Parasites
Peptic ulcer
Sickle cell anemia
[3Stars] Reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.
[2Stars] Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit.
[1Star] An herb is primarily supported by traditional use, or the herb or supplement has little scientific support and/or minimal health benefit.

Historical or traditional use (may or may not be supported by scientific studies): Garlic is mentioned in the Bible and the Talmud. Hippocrates, Galen, Pliny the Elder, and Dioscorides all mention the use of garlic for many conditions, including parasites, respiratory problems, poor digestion, and low energy. Its use in China was first mentioned in A.D. 510. Louis Pasteur studied the antibacterial action of garlic in 1858.

Active constituents: The sulfur compound allicin, produced by crushing or chewing fresh garlic or by taking powdered garlic products with allicin potential, in turn produces other sulfur compounds: ajoene, allyl sulfides, and vinyldithiins.1 Aged garlic products lack allicin, but may have activity due to the presence of S-allylcysteine.

Many publications have shown that garlic supports the cardiovascular system. While earlier trials suggest it may mildly lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood,2 3 4 more recent trials found garlic to have minimal success in lowering cholesterol and triglycerides.5 6 7 Garlic also inhibits platelet stickiness (aggregation) and increase fibrinolysis,8 which results in a slowing of blood coagulation. It is mildly antihypertensive9 and has antioxidant activity.10

Garlic’s cardiovascular protective effects were illustrated in a four-year clinical trial on people 50–80 years old with atherosclerosis.11 It was found that consumption of 900 mg of a standardized garlic supplement reduced arterial plaque formation by 5–18%. The benefits were most notable in women.

In test tube studies garlic has been found to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity.12 However, these actions are less clear in humans and do not suggest that garlic is a substitute for antibiotics or antifungal medications.

Human population studies suggest that eating garlic regularly reduces the risk of esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer.13 14 This may be partly due to garlic’s ability to reduce the formation of carcinogenic compounds.

How much is usually taken? People wishing to consume garlic and have no aversion to its odor can chew from one to two whole cloves of raw garlic daily. For those who prefer it, odor-controlled, enteric-coated tablets or capsules with approximately 1.3% allin are available. Clinical trials have used 600–900 mg (delivering approximately 5,000–6,000 mcg of allicin potential) per day in two or three divided amounts.15 16 Aged-garlic extracts have been studied in amounts ranging from 2.4–7.2 grams per day.

Are there any side effects or interactions? Many people enjoy eating garlic. However, some people who are sensitive to it may experience heartburn and flatulence. Because of garlic’s anti-clotting properties, people taking anticoagulant drugs should check with their doctor before taking garlic.17 Those scheduled for surgery should inform their surgeon if they are taking garlic supplements. Garlic appears to be safe during pregnancy and breast-feeding. In fact, two studies have shown that babies like breast milk better from mothers who eat garlic.18 1

SHOT
12-24-2002, 01:34 PM
Got this from BODYBYBOB

GARLIC BETTER THAN STATIN DRUGS FOR PREVENTING HEART ATTACKS
by Alan Tillotson, Ph.D., AHG

Recent TV ads from major cholesterol-lowering drugs like Lipitor flash language stating that the medicines do not prevent heart attacks or heart disease. In comparison, the below scientific reports deal with the much more important purpose of lowering cholesterol - to prevent vessel clogging, how garlic effects can be made stronger with fish oils, and finally estimates on the core issue of garlic's effectiveness in preventing real heart attacks.
The antiatherosclerotic effect of Allium sativum.Koscielny J, Klussendorf D, Latza R, Schmitt R, Radtke H, Siegel G,
Kiesewetter H. Atherosclerosis 1999 May;144(1):237-49

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the plaque volumes in both carotid and femoral arteries of 152 probationers were determined by B-mode ultrasound. Continuous intake of high-dose garlic powder dragees reduced significantly the increase in arteriosclerotic plaque volume by 5-18% or even effected a slight regression within the observational period of 48 months. Also the age-dependent representation of the plaque volume shows an increase between 50 and 80 years that is diminished under garlic treatment by 6-13% related to 4 years. It seems even more important that with garlic application the plaque volume in the whole collective remained practically constant within the age-span of 50-80 years. These results substantiated that not only a preventive but possibly also a curative role in arteriosclerosis therapy (plaque regression) may be ascribed to garlic remedies.

Publication Types:
* Clinical Trial
* Randomized Controlled Trial
J Natl Med Assoc 1997 Oct;89(10):673-8
Modulation of lipid profile by fish oil and garlic combination. Morcos NC. Division of Cardiology, University of California, Irvine 92717, USA. Fish consumption has been shown to influence epidemiology of heart disease, and garlic has been shown to influence triglyceride levels. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of fish oil and garlic combinations as a dietary supplement on the lipid subfractions. Forty consecutive subjects with lipid profile abnormalities were enrolled in a single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Each subject received placebo for 1 month and fish oil (1800 mg of eicosapentanoic acid [EPA] + 1200 mg of docosahexanoic acid) with garlic powder (1200 mg) capsules daily for 1 month.

Lipid fractionation was performed prior to study initiation, after the placebo period, and after the intervention period. Subjects all had cholesterol levels > 200. Subjects were instructed to maintain their usual diets. Supplementation for 1 month resulted in an 11% decrease in cholesterol, a 34% decrease in triglyceride, and a 10% decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, as well as a 19% decrease in cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) risk. Although not significant, there was a trend toward increase in HDL. There was no significant placebo effect. These results suggest that in addition to the known anticoagulant and antioxidant properties of both fish oil and garlic, the combination causes favorable shifts in the lipid subfractions within 1 month. Triglycerides are affected to the largest extent. The cholesterol lowering and improvement in lipid/HDL risk ratios suggests that these combinations may have antiatherosclerotic properties and may protect against the development of coronary artery disease.

Publication Types:
* Clinical Trial
* Randomized Controlled Trial
Wien Med Wochenschr 1999;149(8-10):217-24 [Pleiotropic effects of garlic] [Article in German] Siegel G, Walter A, Engel S, Walper A, Michel F. Institut fur Physiologie, Universitatsklinikums Benjamin Franklin, Freien Universitat Berlin, Deutschland. siegel@mail.grumed.fu-berlin.de Garlic as a herbal remedy reduces a multitude of risk factors which play a decisive role in the genesis and progression of arteriosclerosis: decrease in total and LDL-cholesterol, increase in HDL-cholesterol, reduction of serum
triglyceride and fibrinogen concentration, lowering of arterial blood pressure and promotion of organ perfusion, and, finally, enhancement in fibrinolysis, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and diminution of plasma viscosity. In a prospective, 4-year clinical trial with primary endpoint 'arteriosclerotic plaque volume' it was proven not only a 9 to 18% reduction and 3% regression in plaque volume of the total collective under the influence of standardized garlic powder dragees (900 mg/die LI 111), but also of some facets of the phytopharmacologic pleiotropy of this herb: decrease in LDL level by 4%, increase in HDL concentration by 8%, and lowering in blood pressure by 7%. The reduction of arterial blood pressure is due to an additional opening of K(Ca) ion channels in the membrane of vascular smooth muscle cells that effects its hyperpolarization. This membrane hyperpolarization closes about 20% of the L-type Ca2+ channels, consequence of which is vasodilatation. In human coronary arteries, the increase in vascular diameter by 4% is closely associated with an improvement of coronary perfusion by 18%. These pleiotropic effects of garlic result in a reduction of relative cardiovascular risk for infarction and stroke by more than 50%. Publication Types: *------------------------------------------------------------ bodybybob:THE CONCLUSION I COME TO AFTER READING THSE STUDIES IS THAT THE COMBINATION OF FISH OIL(EPA/DHA)AND GARLIC OR GARLIC POWDER IN THE DOSES MENTIONED ABOVE CAN GREATLY REDUCE THE RISK OF HEART DESEASE