Garlic

• What other names is Garlic known by?
• What is Garlic?
• Is Garlic effective?
• How does Garlic work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Garlic.

What other names is Garlic known by?

Aged Garlic Extract, Ail, Ajo, Allii Sativi Bulbus, Allium, Allium sativum, Camphor of the Poor, Clove Garlic, Da Suan, Garlic Clove, Garlic Oil, Lasun, Lasuna, Nectar of the Gods, Poor Man's Treacle, Rason, Rust Treacle, Stinking Rose.

What is Garlic?

Garlic is an herb. The fresh clove or supplements made from the clove are used for medicine.

Is Garlic effective?

There is some scientific evidence that garlic can lower high cholesterol after a few months of treatment, but perhaps not enough to reduce heart disease. Garlic is not nearly as effective as regular prescription medicines used to lower cholesterol.

Garlic seems to also lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure and possibly slow "hardening of the arteries."

There is also some evidence that eating garlic might reduce the chance of developing some cancers such as cancer of the colon, and possibly stomach cancer and prostate cancer. But there is no reliable evidence that garlic is helpful for people who already have cancer.

Some people with diabetes try garlic to help lower blood sugar. But garlic does not seem to be effective for this use.

There isn't enough information to know if garlic is effective for the other conditions people use it for, including: treating a special condition involving high cholesterol in people with HIV/AIDS, earaches, arthritis, allergies, colds, flu, traveler's diarrhea, and others.

Possibly Effective for...

• High blood pressure.
• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
• Preventing colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer.
• Preventing tick bites.
• Fungal infections on the skin.

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Diabetes.
• Treating a bacteria called H. pylori that can cause ulcers.
• High cholesterol.
• Breast cancer.
• Lung cancer.
• Treating peripheral arterial occlusive disease (a disease that makes walking painful).

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Treating a special condition involving high cholesterol in people with HIV/AIDS, common cold, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), earaches, arthritis, allergies, colds, flu, traveler's diarrhea, pre-eclampsia, urinary tract problems in men, preventing prostate cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), warts, corns, and other conditions.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).