Allicin, the Magic in Garlic

by Sheryl Young

© Westchase Style Magazine, May, 2006, p. 45.

COPYRIGHT: This is a sample version of an article seen in the print publication, Westchase Style Magazine. It has been published and copyrighted. No portion may be reprinted without permission. Photos and some text may not appear here.   

In countries where people don’t have immediate access to prescription medication, garlic has long been known as a great natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial herb. It also lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and has excellent anti-oxidant properties to keep the blood clean from toxins. 

    “Allicin” is the major medicinal component found in garlic that does these magical things without a trip to the drugstore.

    What’s an anti- fungal? An anti-fungal is a treatment that gets rid of fungi which may be in or on the body. Symptoms of a fungus which manifests itself on the outside of the body is generally a sign that something’s growing inside. Examples of such fungi are athlete’s foot, repetitive fingernail or cuticle infections, feminine yeast infections, and the most typical dreaded toenail fungus (ugh) which turns your toenails yellow, green or brown and starts eroding the nail away.

     Fans of natural medicine, and plenty of doctors too, know that most of these ailments cannot be remedied with external treatments like topical creams and liquids. Fungus can often be an overgrowth of yeast originating in the intestines which occurs when the immune system has been compromised somehow, perhaps by heavy-dose antibiotics, treatments for cancer, or over-exposure to heavy chemicals. So prescription antibiotics are ineffective and can even exacerbate the problem, because antibiotics, while attacking an infection, can also kill the “good (protective) bacteria” that naturally grows in the intestines.

   The fungus that starts on the inside of the body must be cleansed from the inside. You need an anti-fungal to get rid of it. But many prescription drugs, including the family called “flucanazoles”, can have very harmful side effects on the liver, which processes most of the uninvited substances that get into our systems. Fresh garlic (the allicin will be released for the body’s use during the cooking process), can be a great natural remedy when taken correctly.

    The Upside of fresh garlic: Chances are, if you eat plenty of garlic, you’re not one of the millions of unfortunate Americans who are plagued by some of the skin fungi we’ve already mentioned, or conditions such as asthma, sinus and bronchial infections. Garlic is good for all of these. Garlic cloves or dissolved tablets can also be put in hot steaming water and breathed in for nasal passage clearing. 

   The Downside: Digested garlic can permeate your skin and give off an odor. The garlic is detoxifying your insides, and it actually seeps out through the pores of the skin, especially when sweating. Also, too much garlic can cause heartburn if you’re susceptible to it.

     So what to do? There are plenty of garlic tablets, capsules and powders available at your local natural food store. Some of these may be processed in such a way where only a little allicin is left for absorption. So allicin is now also available by itself in several forms. Most of these preparations have the “odor” properties removed and are more easily digested than real garlic.

   Sometimes a “flucanazole” drug, obtained through your doctor, is absolutely necessary to “jump-start” the death of the internal yeast. Short doses shouldn’t be too harmful. Between a doctor and an alternative care physician or nutritionist, you can learn how to combine this with real garlic or allicin preparations for best results.

This is the opinion of a layman. An alternative medicine physician or nutritionist should be consulted.

Resource: “Allicin the Heart of Garlic”, Dr. Peter Josling, Garlic Center, Sussex England.

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