Garlic: An Herb Society of America Guide
Medicinal Uses & Ethnobotany *
Garlic, whose pharmacopeial name is Allii sativi bulbus
(11), has a long history of medicinal use by cultures around the
world for a wide variety of conditions. One of the first medicines,
garlic was included in the Codex Ebers, a 1550 B.C. papyrus
that some consider the oldest medical text on record (13 cited in 67),
and was mentioned even earlier in clay, cuneiform tablets from the
library of Nineveh in Mesopotamia (8). It has been indispensable to
Chinese medicine for thousands of years and was reportedly used by
the ancient Egyptians to treat dental cavities (37) and as a general
tonic (41). In his Natural History, Pliny listed garlic as a
remedy for sixty-one ailments (7, 52 cited in 67). Ethnobotanically,
garlic was used by the indigenous Cherokee, Choco and Kickapoo peoples (44).
Garlic's uses in folk medicine include treatments for bronchitis and
respiratory problems, gastrointestinal problems, flatulence, leprosy,
menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, diabetes and externally for
warts, corns, arthritis, muscle pain, neuralgia and sciatica (35-37,
55, 66). It's no wonder that garlic acquired the name poor man's
treacle, or cure-all.
In Ayurvedic medicine garlic is considered heating, diuretic,
diaphoretic (enduces sweating), expectorant, carminative,
anti-coagulant, anthelmintic (rids the body of intestinal worms),
and immune-enhancing (53). Homeopathically, garlic is used to treat
upper respiratory tract inflammation, rheumatism and digestive
problems (36).
Louis Pasteur first verified garlic's antibacterial properties
scientifically in 1858 (46, 82), and during WWI garlic juice, water
and sphagnum moss were used to bandage wounds (35, 82). It was
also used in WWII to prevent septic poisoning and gangrene (67). Even before Pasteur's discovery, garlic was a military
disinfectant, and poultices of moss, garlic and wine were used to
treat soldiers in the army of Ancient Rome (8, 59).
Recently, science has begun to confirm many of garlic's long-standing
medicinal uses. Garlic has been shown to lower blood cholesterol,
blood pressure (11, 24, 36) and blood sugar (53, 66) in studies and
clinical trials. Garlic has
also demonstrated anti-cancer, antibacterial, anti-fungal and
anti-oxidant effects (11, 24).
Medicinal garlic comes in many forms, but raw garlic is most potent
medicinally (6, 70), and deodorized forms may have reduced medicinal
action (70). According to a researcher at the National Cancer
Institute, garlic should be chopped and allowed to sit for 10-15
minutes before cooking to stabilize beneficial compounds and
maximize garlic's anti-cancer properties (47).
Other than garlic breath, garlic's side effects include digestive
disturbances/flatulence, occupational asthma, postoperative bleeding
and skin irritation, particularly from prolonged or excessive
exposure (36). Garlic "folk remedies" have been used on
children and babies in various cultures (6), but large amounts of
"garlic preparations" such as oil or extracts have
reportedly caused deaths in small children (66, 82). Garlic can
irritate the digestive tracts of very young children (79 cited in 24),
and some sources don't recommend garlic for breastfeeding mothers
(11, 36). In addition, some individuals are allergic to garlic (11, 24).
* Disclaimer: The Herb Society of America cannot advise, recommend, or prescribe herbs for medicinal use. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatments.
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