Garlic has been used for thousands of years to aid in immune system health. According to Dr. John Courtney, using the whole clove is essential for getting all of the active factors, some of which include allicin, methyl allytrisulfide and sulfur. The high sulfur component of garlic makes it very helpful in liver detoxification as it opens up the sulfation biochemical pathways. Sulfur is an important element in the formation of cortisol which decreases pain and inflammation. Sulfur creates an environment in which mold, yeast, fungus and candida perish. Garlic was used as protection against infection long before microbes were even discovered. Nearly every culture has used garlic for health and longevity, from ancient Chinese to colonial Americans. Garlic contains an amino acid derivative, allin. When garlic is consumed, the enzyme allinase, which converts allin to allicin, is released. Allicin has a natural antibiotic effect. Methyl allytrisulfide, another factor of the whole clove, acts by dilating blood vessel walls, and also thins the blood by inhibiting platelet aggregation. In a clove of garlic there can be as much as 20mg of naturally occurring sulfur. Sulfur, found in hemoglobin and other body tissues is partly responsible for protecting the body against antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococcus, Escherichia, proteus and pseudomonas bacteria. To repeat, garlic is very effective against microbes such as herpes and candida. A study of 41,000 women showed that one or more servings a week was responsible for a 35 percent decrease in colon cancer.
Garlic is anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-social. The folklore also tells us that garlic helps stave off vampires. This makes sense as the disease that led to the condition that was rumored to be a “vampire” would be less likely to degenerate the body in the presence of large concentrations of the active components in garlic.
Garlic can also be irritating to the digestive tract for some people who have too much of it. Because garlic may cause a “dye-off reaction” due to its powerful ability to kill off funguses, mold, yeast and candida; some people will feel nauseous after using garlic regularly. It may also cause heart burn, vomiting, or diarrhea in some people when taken on an empty stomach. Because garlic can thin the blood it may be dangerous for those people who are already using a blood thinner.
What many people do not realize that enjoy the benefits of garlic is that Garlic can go rancid very quickly despite all of its anti-oxidant benefits. In general, garlic should never be stored in the refrigerator. Instead, it should be left out at room temperature. Garlic should never be peeled ahead of time. The garlic shell should only be taken off at or around the time that the garlic is being consumed. If you buy garlic in bulk at the supermarket that has already been rid of its shell then it is already rancid. This garlic could make a person with a compromised immune system quite ill. This is ESPECIALLY true of people with auto-immune disease such as asthma, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Graves Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Wilson’s Syndrome, etc…. The garlic can accumulate mold and bacteria and be incredibly unhealthy if its protective shell has already been removed for a period of time.
Another interesting thing about Garlic is if you crush the garlic in a garlic press and then let it sit out in open air for about 15 minutes or so; the garlic has more nutritional value than if you crush it and eat it immediately. Apparently, the oxygen in the air binds to certain components in the garlic thereby increasing its nutritional value.
