Garlic is a well-known food and natural remedy with useful properties in prevention and complementary treatment of cardiovascular diseases, It regulates blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It also thins the blood and is an antioxidant.

The properties of garlic can be explained by its prebiotic fiber content, in sulfur compounds such as alliin (which is transformed into allicin), diallyl disulfide, ajoene, s-allylcysteine, etc.) and in essential oils.

Eat raw garlic regularly

Many people like to cook with garlic, however, Cooked garlic has lost some of its properties. Therefore, people who want to use garlic therapeutically or preventively can turn to raw garlic or garlic powder pearls.

One way to preserve at least part of the properties when cooking is crush it previously and wait 30 minutes before adding it to the cooking. This allows alliin and allinase to mix to form allicin, which will then resist heat.

Contraindications of garlic

Nowhere is it explained how much garlic is appropriate to consume, but overdoses are always possible, even with the healthiest foods. In the case of garlic, it is worth taking caution because its properties could make it contraindicated in some situations.

Garlic is often discouraged when people take anticoagulant medications because garlic can reduce its effect and promote bleeding in sick people.

It is also often recommended not to take garlic capsules or eat it during a few days before an operation, to prevent bleeding during the operation.

But in reality there are very few case reports that show these contraindications, even if medications are taken.

How much garlic can be toxic?

In studies carried out with laboratory animals it has been determined that above 0.5 g of garlic per kilo of body weight can cause liver damage. A safe amount could be 0.25 g of garlic per kilo of weight. For a 70 kg person, the maximum amount would be 17.25 g or 6 cloves of garlic.

Although studies talk about potential damage to the liver with garlic overdose, the truth is that moderate doses are beneficial for this organ. People who eat raw garlic twice a week or more, have a lower risk of liver cancer than those who eat raw garlic less frequently or never.

Garlic also reduces the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver. The risk of fatty liver is lowest when you eat raw garlic 4 to 6 times a week. However, if garlic was eaten 7 times or more, the risk increases slightly again.

What you should definitely not do with garlic

What you should never do is swallow garlic cloves whole. Apparently this practice is recommended on some websites to avoid garlic breath.

In addition to the fact that swallowing it whole does not prevent the smell of garlic, 17 cases of severe esophageal injuries by people who swallowed whole cloves of garlic, in quantities of up to one whole garlic bulb at a time, without water. Almost all of those affected had to undergo surgery.

On the other hand, crushed garlic can irritate the skin if it comes into contact with it (some people apply it as a poultice to the chest to treat colds). In fact, if contact is maintained for a long time, a «chemical burn» can occur.

Scientific references:

• Leyla Bayan et al. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna J Phytomed.
• Johura Ansary et al. Potential Health Benefit of Garlic Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview. Antioxidants.