Wonderful medicinal garlic
It is amazing how confusing medical research can be. So often, the findings of the scientific was very much in evidence recently within the pages of a single edition of the British Medical Journal.
It is amazing how confusing medical research can be. So often, the findings of the scientific was very much in evidence recently within the pages of a single edition of the British Medical Journal. While one study claimed to provide evidence to support the increasingly popular practice of using aspirin to ward off heart attacks and strokes, another was strongly critical of it.
The author of the latter article, Professor John Cleland from the University of Hull, claimed that rather than actually preventing heart attacks and strokes, aspirin may merely mask their symptoms and make them harder to detect. The debate about the pros and cons of aspirin is likely to rage on for some time, but the evidence supporting its use as a disease-protector does seem to have been dealt a bit of a body blow.
While the doctors and scientists slug this one out, there is perhaps sense in seeking a viable aspirin alternative. For me, a serious contender is garlic. For thousands of years, this herb has been thought to promote the health of the heart and circulation, and garlic supplements enjoy a perennial popularity. There is also now a wealth of scientific evidence showing that garlic has a range of heath-giving properties that might help keep heart attacks and strokes at bay.
The terms ‘heart attack’ and ‘stroke’ refer to death in part of the heart muscle and brain respectively. The majority of these events are related to the formation of small blood flow. Thrombi, can plug an artery and block vital blood flow. Thrombi are formed from clumps of tiny blood components called platelets. One of aspirin’s effects in the body is to reduce the tendency of platelets to stick together, and it is this action which is believed to be behind its supposed ability to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
But studies show that, just like aspirin, garlic reduces the tendency for platelets to gang up and form thrombi. Even a single dose of garlic appears to have blood-thinning potential. What’s more, garlic has also been shown to have what is known as fibrinolytic activity, which means it helps to dissolve thrombi and other unwanted clots in the body. The ability to prevent and dissolve artery-plugging thrombi suggests that garlic offers real potential to protect against heart attacks and strokes.
A review of several trials in the Journal of Hypertension concluded that garlic can bring about small, but significant reductions in blood pressure. Another study found that long-term supplementation reduced the risk of unhealthy stiffening in the body’s main artery (the aorta). Some research shows that garlic can also lower cholesterol levels. While not all the scientific evidence supports this, two meta-analyses (a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies) have found that garlic can reduce cholestoral by an impressive 10 per cent.
The vast majority of studies into the beneficial effects of garlic have used supplements, most of which were based on dried garlic powder.
Suitable supplements (usually in tablet form) are widely available in health food stores and pharmacies. Garlic’s effective dose appears to be around 800mg per day (though larger doses appear to be necessary for cholesterol reduction). If you want to take a more natural route, then you will need to consume the equivalent of one or two cloves of garlic a day.
But be warned: many of garlic’s therapeutic properties are believed to be lost during cooking, meaning that for maximum benefit, garlic needs to be taken raw.
Finally, a word of caution –– while garlic does seem to have a myriad of desirable effects in the body, it does need to be handled with care. Because garlic thins the blood, it can increase bleeding tendency. For this reason, I don’t recommend that it is mixed with blood-thinning drugs, such as warfarin (or aspirin for that matter). Also, anyone undergoing surgery should stop garlic 10 days before the operation, commencing again a week after the procedure.
Observer
The author of the latter article, Professor John Cleland from the University of Hull, claimed that rather than actually preventing heart attacks and strokes, aspirin may merely mask their symptoms and make them harder to detect. The debate about the pros and cons of aspirin is likely to rage on for some time, but the evidence supporting its use as a disease-protector does seem to have been dealt a bit of a body blow.
While the doctors and scientists slug this one out, there is perhaps sense in seeking a viable aspirin alternative. For me, a serious contender is garlic. For thousands of years, this herb has been thought to promote the health of the heart and circulation, and garlic supplements enjoy a perennial popularity. There is also now a wealth of scientific evidence showing that garlic has a range of heath-giving properties that might help keep heart attacks and strokes at bay.
The terms ‘heart attack’ and ‘stroke’ refer to death in part of the heart muscle and brain respectively. The majority of these events are related to the formation of small blood flow. Thrombi, can plug an artery and block vital blood flow. Thrombi are formed from clumps of tiny blood components called platelets. One of aspirin’s effects in the body is to reduce the tendency of platelets to stick together, and it is this action which is believed to be behind its supposed ability to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
But studies show that, just like aspirin, garlic reduces the tendency for platelets to gang up and form thrombi. Even a single dose of garlic appears to have blood-thinning potential. What’s more, garlic has also been shown to have what is known as fibrinolytic activity, which means it helps to dissolve thrombi and other unwanted clots in the body. The ability to prevent and dissolve artery-plugging thrombi suggests that garlic offers real potential to protect against heart attacks and strokes.
A review of several trials in the Journal of Hypertension concluded that garlic can bring about small, but significant reductions in blood pressure. Another study found that long-term supplementation reduced the risk of unhealthy stiffening in the body’s main artery (the aorta). Some research shows that garlic can also lower cholesterol levels. While not all the scientific evidence supports this, two meta-analyses (a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies) have found that garlic can reduce cholestoral by an impressive 10 per cent.
The vast majority of studies into the beneficial effects of garlic have used supplements, most of which were based on dried garlic powder.
Suitable supplements (usually in tablet form) are widely available in health food stores and pharmacies. Garlic’s effective dose appears to be around 800mg per day (though larger doses appear to be necessary for cholesterol reduction). If you want to take a more natural route, then you will need to consume the equivalent of one or two cloves of garlic a day.
But be warned: many of garlic’s therapeutic properties are believed to be lost during cooking, meaning that for maximum benefit, garlic needs to be taken raw.
Finally, a word of caution –– while garlic does seem to have a myriad of desirable effects in the body, it does need to be handled with care. Because garlic thins the blood, it can increase bleeding tendency. For this reason, I don’t recommend that it is mixed with blood-thinning drugs, such as warfarin (or aspirin for that matter). Also, anyone undergoing surgery should stop garlic 10 days before the operation, commencing again a week after the procedure.
Observer