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 the active factors, some of which include allicin, methyl allyl trisulfide, 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, alliin. When garlic is consumed, the enzyme alliinase, which converts alliin to allicin, is released. Allicin has a natural antibiotic effect. Methyl allyl trisulfide, another component of the whole clove, acts by dilating blood vessel walls and thinning the blood by inhibiting platelet aggregation. In a clove of garlic, there can be as much as 20 mg 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 reiterate, 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. 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 consume too much of it. Because garlic may cause a “die-off reaction” due to its powerful ability to kill off fungi, mold, yeast, and candida, some people may feel nauseous after using garlic regularly. It may also cause heartburn, vomiting, or diarrhea in some people when taken on an empty stomach. Because garlic can thin the blood, it may be dangerous for those already using a blood thinner.
What many people do not realize is that garlic can go rancid very quickly despite all of its antioxidant 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 removed at or around the time of consumption. If you buy garlic in bulk at the supermarket that has already been peeled, then it is likely already rancid. This garlic could make a person with a compromised immune system quite ill. This is ESPECIALLY true for people with autoimmune diseases such as asthma, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Wilson’s syndrome, etc. Garlic can accumulate mold and bacteria and become incredibly unhealthy if its protective shell has already been removed for a period of time.
Another interesting fact about garlic, as Dr. Skolnikoff often points out, is that if you crush it in a garlic press and then let it sit out in open air for about 15 minutes, the garlic will have 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.
