Scientists Unravel Benefits of Garlic

October 19th, 2007

CHICAGO: Alternative medicine has been touting the health benefits of garlic for centuries, from its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, to its positive effects on the cardiovascular system.

Now US researchers say they have figured out precisely why the pungent clove makes such a valuable health tonic: it boosts the body’s own production of a compound that relaxes blood vessels, increases blood flow, and prevents blood clots and oxidative damage.

“This will help us standardise over the counter garlic supplements, and ensure they have the ingredients that produce the key compound,” said David Kraus, a physiologist in the department of environmental health sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Much of the research into the pharmacological benefits of garlic has focused on the organic polysulphides that the clove is rich in — the best known of which is Allicin.

But the new research suggests that Allicin and similar biologically active compounds are only a piece of the puzzle, and that it’s the chemical messenger that is produced when these compounds are metabolised that is important.

In laboratory tests, the researchers at the University of Alabama found that it was this chemical messenger — hydrogen sulphide (H2S) — which is essential at low levels for cellular signaling, that appears to relax blood vessels, enhancing blood flow.
The team conducted a series of experiments, first extracting juice from supermarket garlic and adding minute amounts to red blood cells. The cells immediately began emitting hydrogen sulphide.

Source:The Times Of India