Certain time-honored remedies have had such a reputation in folk medicine that it can be difficult to determine how much of the reputation is hype and how much could be supported by science. Garlic is certainly one such natural product. It has a long history. More to the point, plenty of people attest to the healing power of garlic.
The Healing Power of Garlic:
Q. You recently had a letter from a doctor who was skeptical that garlic can be medicinal. I can attest to its healing powers!
Chronic Yeast Infections:
I have type 2 diabetes and I had constant yeast infections due to high blood sugar. My yeast infections were so terrible that I was in constant pain.
I read online about treating my condition by eating crushed garlic. I consumed three tablespoons of raw crushed garlic four times a day with a pint of warm lemon water for three days. The infection went away completely. This worked better than Monistat or Diflucan or anything else that had been prescribed.
High Blood Pressure:
Once the infection was gone, I took three tablespoons of raw crushed garlic three times a day instead of four. This dropped my blood pressure from 189/96 to 134/86. Based on my experiences with using garlic, I can truly say that it heals the body.
A. Thank you for sharing your extraordinary story. We’re not sure, though, that very many people could tolerate three or four tablespoons of crushed garlic a day. That is a lot of garlic!
Garlic for Heart Health?
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was reputed to prescribe garlic for patients suffering chest pain. Modern science has confirmed that garlic has anti-platelet activity, meaning it may reduce the risk of blood clot formation.
Research has also revealed that garlic lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and combats fungi (Journal of Nutrition, Feb. 2016; Canadian Journal of Microbiology, Oct., 2010).
Garlic Lowers Blood Sugar:
There is also evidence that garlic helps control blood sugar (Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dec. 2015). For people who would prefer alternatives to the healing power of garlic to maintain good blood sugar levels, we offer our Guide to Managing Diabetes.
Will an Extract Work as Well as Crushed Garlic?
There is conflicting evidence on whether an aged garlic extract (such as Kyolic, for example) is able to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation as well as fresh garlic does. One recent study suggested that an aged garlic extract holds promise (Integrated Blood Pressure Control, online Jan. 27, 2016). Another study in people with type 2 diabetes did not find that aged garlic extract made blood vessels more flexible or reduced their inflammation in a month-long placebo-controlled trial (Journal of Diabetes Complications, online Jan. 6, 2016).
