Compounds that help give garlic its smell can battle malaria infection in the lab, and may use a similar mechanism to attack certain cancer cells, according to the results of a new study.
Chemicals known as disulfides, which are found in onions, garlic and mahogany trees, are known to be active against fungus, bacteria and cancer. Animal studies have also shown they can fight malaria.
To investigate their effects, investigators exposed cultured, malaria-infected human cells to 11 disulfide compounds. They found that the compounds that helped wipe out the malaria parasite were also active against cultured melanoma cells.
Apparently malaria-infected cells and some cancer cells have the same susceptibility profile. However, the exact mechanism of action is still unclear.
Ajoene and dysoxysulfone, two disulfide compounds found in garlic and onions, may ward off malaria by disrupting an enzyme important in allowing malaria to infect cells and cancer cells to reproduce.
This is kind of interesting because if you have malaria in the area, eating a diet rich in garlic and onions could give you an edge.
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's 50th Annual Meeting. In Atlanta, November 13, 2001
I am not surprised in the least that garlic would be found to be useful in malaria as it is incredibly useful in a large variety of infections.
It is important to note that the garlic MUST be fresh. The active ingredient is destroyed within several hours of smashing the garlic. Cooking the garlic will actually neutralize much of the active ingredient.
Garlic pills are virtually worthless and should not be used. They cost well over ten times as much and are nowhere as effective. When you use the garlic it will be important to compress the garlic with a spoon prior to swallowing it if you are not going to juice it. If you swallow the clove intact you will not convert the allicin to its active ingredient.
One problem, of course, is the smell, but generally a few cloves a day are tolerated by most people. If one develops a socially offensive odor then all you do is slightly decrease the volume of garlic until there is no odor present.
Related Articles:
RAW Garlic For Parasites and Viral Infections Garlic Lowers Heart Disease Risk Garlic Keeps the Ticks Away Garlic May Prevent Cancer Evidence Mounts For Garlic's Antimicrobial, Cholesterol-Lowering Effects Magnetic Fields May Destroy Malaria Scientists Plan to Wipe Out Malaria with GM Mosquitoes
RAW Garlic For Parasites and Viral Infections
Garlic Lowers Heart Disease Risk
Garlic Keeps the Ticks Away
Garlic May Prevent Cancer
Evidence Mounts For Garlic's Antimicrobial, Cholesterol-Lowering Effects
Magnetic Fields May Destroy Malaria
Scientists Plan to Wipe Out Malaria with GM Mosquitoes