Garlic (Lahssan)

Garlic (Allium Satinum) has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes (American Family Physician), Sanskrit records show its medicinal use about 5000 years ago and it has been used for at least 3000 years in Chinese medicine. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans used garlic for healing purposes. In 1858 Pasteur noted garlic’s antibacterial activity and it was used as an antiseptic and to prevent gangrene during world Wax 1.
Garlic has long been considered a herbal wonder chug with reputation for preventing everything from the common cold to flu to plague! Garlic has been used extensively in phytotherapy (herbal medicine). Raw garlic is used by some to treat acne and it is believed to be effective as a natural mosquito repellant.
Historically garlic has been used around the world to treat many conditions including hypertension, infections and snake-bite and some, cultures have used it to ward off eveil spirits. Currently garlic is used for reducing blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risk as,, well as and antimicrobial properties,

Pharmacology
The root bulb of garlic plat-it is used medicinally. It can be used fresh, dehydrated or as a steam distilled oil. Garlic has a high concentration of sulphurcontaining compounds. The thiosulfinates at including allicin appear to be the active substances in garlic. The an antimicrobial, hyperlipidaemic, antioxidant and antithrombotic effects that have been attributed to garlic are thought to be related to allicin and other breakdown Products. The antineoplastic effects may be related to the sulphur compounds or to other unknown components.

Uses And Efficacy
(a) Lipid-Lowering Effects
Many randomized clinical trials have studied the effects of garlic on lipid levels- Results from 2 meta-analysis conducted in 1993 and 1994 on effects of garlic on total cholesterol show a significant reduction in total cholesterol levels (9 to 12 percent) compared with placebo. A meta analysis published in 2000 that included these trials concluded that garlic is superior to placebo in reducing total cholesterol. A more recent meta-analysis of placebo -controlled trials using standardized dried garlic powder showed significant reduction in total cholesterol levels (19.2mg per dL) low density lipo-protein hpoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. (6.7mg per dL) and triglycerde levels (2 1. lmg per dL) at 8 to 12 weeks; these reductions were not sustained at 6 months treatment.
A Europeem trial comparing with a lipid lowering drug benzofibrate found them to be equally effective in decreasing lipids to statistically significant cant extent. One trial of garlic extracts treated in children with hypercholesterolaemia found no adverse effects but also no significant beneficial effect on lipids.

Antihypertensive Effects
The antihypertensive effects of garlic have been studied but remain controversial. In 1994 meta-analysis assessment of the effects of garlic on hypertension using 3 trials showed significant ant reduction in systolic blood pressure and 4 trials showed reduction in diastolic B.P. with garlic treatment compared with placebo. In a more recent meta-analysis, 23 placebo controlled trials were analysed. Only 3 trials showed a statistically significant reduction in diastolic B.P and one showed a statistically significant ant reduction in systolic B P in patients treated with garlic compared with placebo.

Other Cardiovascular Related Effects
A recent review of 10 trials assessing the effects of garlic on thrombotic risk showed modest but significant decreases in platelet aggregation with garlic compared to placebo. The same review analysed 12 trials of garlic supplements in diabetics and non-diabetic adults and only one trial showed significant decrease in glucose levels in non diabetic patients.
One observational study showed that regular garlic powder intake weakened age and pressure related increases in aortic stiffness.
Epidemoological studies from cohort studies have shown a decreased risk of stomach and colon cancer with high concentrations of garlic and other allium vegetables e.g. onion, leeks and chives.

Anti-microbial effects
Small studies have shown that garlic exerts antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram- negative bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Dietary garlic has been used in the treatment of infections particularly digestive, respiratory or dermatological infections from vaginitis to colds and warts

Contra-indications, verse effects and interactions
Ingestion of one to two cloves of raw garlic per day is considered safe in adults. The most common side-effects of ingested garlic are unpleasant breath and body odour : Consumption of excessive amounts of garlic especially on an empty stomach can cause gastro-intestinal upset, flatulence and changes in intestinal flora. There has been reports of allergy, dermatitis burns and blusters from topical applications of raw garlic.
Garlic appears to show no effects on drug metabolism. It has been suggested that patients taking anticoagulants use caution when taking garlic and it is prudent to stop taking high dosage of garlic 7 to 10 days before surgery because garlic can prolong bleeding bleeding time.

Dosage
Dosages generally recommended in the literature for adults are 4g (I-2 cloves) of raw garlic peper day or one 300 mg dried garlic powder 2 to 3 per day or 7.2g of aged garlic extracts per day.