Probably the best natural remedy in the world... (Garlic)

Member Name: collingwood21

Product:	Garlic
Date:	08/02/02 (477 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Antibacterial, good for your heart and circulation, suitable for diabetics, reduces stress and cholesterol, helps prevent colds

Disadvantages: Not exactly cheap if you want good quality garlic, may not be 100% odourless

Garlic. An odd subject to write an op on you might think. Well, yes, it probably does seem like that, but bear with me, as there is a lot you can say about garlic. It has been used for thousands of years to maintain good health by many cultures, but it is only relatively recently that the modern western world is finally waking up to how beneficial this bulb can be.

Garlic is a type of herb from the lily family, and is related to the onion – it is covered with a papery skin and may be broken down into segments called bulbs. Although its most common usage is as a flavouring in cooking, it is also recognised that it has many and varied medicinal properties.

The prime active agent in garlic is a substance called allicin. Allicin isn’t actually in garlic, but is naturally created when cloves are crushed or eaten raw, or when you swallow garlic tablets. It is this substance that helps to protect the heart against coronary disease, and also acts to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which is one of the biggest reasons why people (especially the over forties) take garlic on a regular basis. Eating or taking garlic supplements has also been indicated as beneficial for those people with asthma, cancer, colds and flu, diabetes, mild to moderate depression, poor circulation and rheumatoid arthritis, as it is anti-bacterial and boosts the immune system. Even babies like garlic - mothers who eat garlic tend to have babies who stay longer at the breast and drink more milk.

Garlic has also been the subject of many scientific studies investigating its health benefits. For example:
- A New York Medical College survey found that eating half a clove of garlic daily reduced cholesterol levels by an average of 9%
- Profesor Eric Block has discovered a compound in garlic called ajoene that has anti-coagulent activity equal to that of aspirin
- The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have found that
garlic suppressed the growth of prostate cancer cells by 25%
- A recent survey of 42,000 Iowa women found that those who ate garlic more than once a week were half as likely to develop colon cancer as none garlic eaters
(SOURCE - USA Weekend, http://www.usaweekend.com/health/carper_archive/95 0402eat_smart_garlic.html)

I have been taking garlic for a few weeks now, mostly as an aid to the depression I repeatedly suffer from, but also to help prevent colds and flu. I used to take St Johns Wort (“nature’s prozac”) for these depressive moods, but have had to stop this practice since I discovered that it could react with contraceptive pills and stop them from working. Ever since, I have been trying to find an alternative natural remedy that is effective, but works without this side effect. I believe that it is the best thing I have sampled thus far, and is not far off being as successful as I found St Johns Wort to be.

I actually came to garlic completely by accident, after reading an article in a magazine that stated that it can boost serotonin levels in the brain (a known mood enhancing neurochemical), as well as reducing fatigue, anxiety, sensitivity and irritability. Intrigued (and, to be honest, feeling a little bit desperate at this point!) I bought a packet of garlic supplements the next time I was shopping – Kwai once a day Chinese garlic odour free tablets, at £4.95 for 30 days supply (the reason for this choice being this was all Safeway had). These tablets claim that they have the highest allicin levels of any supplement you can buy, and are made from fresh organic garlic (which is why I assume they are so pricey). They are taken once a day at mealtimes and are easy to swallow – I found them to be not 100% odour free (I notice a very mild aftertaste on some days) but this is not noticeable to others and I don’t find it offensive.

After just a few days I did notice a difference in h
ow I felt. Although I still get depressive moods, I find that I am better able to cope with them as I feel more awake, alert and relaxed, and can concentrate more easily. I am assuming that this last effect comes from the improved circulation that garlic is supposed to bestow on takers, as better memory and concentration is a commonly stated benefit of ginkgo biloba (which also boosts circulation). Neither have I caught any colds since I began this course, despite one of my housemates being ill for over a fortnight with a really bad one – normally I am one of the first people to get any bug that is going around.

So am I happy with my decision to take garlic? Definitely, yes! I feel noticeably better (especially when the garlic is combined with a multi vitamin supplement) and feel that it was money well spent. There are many brands of tablets currently on the market at varying prices, but I suppose as with anything you get what you pay for, and I feel that £4.95 a month is a small price to pay for the benefits I feel I am getting. Worth considering if you have any of the conditions I mentioned, or if you want to maintain good general health.

All this, and keeps vampires away too! :-)

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