Many common medications that doctors use come from natural sources. Warfarin (Coumadin), a common blood thinner, was discovered from bleeding cows that had eaten yellow sweet clover. Digitalis, a heart medication, is derived from the plant foxglove, and penicillin comes from the penicillium mold. Recent studies point to the antioxidant properties of red wine, pomegranate juice, and dark chocolate. And ethnobotanists are scouring the Amazon to explore the medicinal potential of indigenous flora. So what about garlic?
We love garlic, but unfortunately there just isn’t any data in yet that decisively proves this pungent bulb’s health benefits. Garlic has been studied in high blood pressure, cholesterol lowering, blood thinning, and cancer prevention, to name a few. The best available data suggest that garlic is slightly better than a placebo in reducing total cholesterol levels, but this effect is debatable.
Don’t worry, when we find more evidence, we will let you know and we can all go out and celebrate by gorging ourselves on a huge plate of shrimp scampi. Until then, feel free to wear a dove around your neck or hang it on your door to keep evil spirits and vampires at bay.
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"Can garlic prevent heart disease or cancer?" was posted on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 5:17 am.
Garlic can reduce the growth of cancer cells, prevent heart disease, suppress cholesterol production and lower LDL levels, decrease the tendency of blood to clump, and boost immunity.