History

 The potency of garlic has been acknowledged for >500 years.

 In ancient times, garlic was used as a remedy for intestinal disorders,

flatulence, worms, respiratory infections, skin diseases, wounds, symptoms

of aging, and many other ailments.

 Through the middle ages into World War II, the use of garlic to treat

wounds surfaced repeatedly.

 It was ground up or sliced and was applied directly to wounds to inhibit the

spread of infections.

 To date, >3000 publications from all over the world have gradually

confirmed the traditionally recognized health benefits of garlic.

 Favorable experimental and clinical effects of the consumption of garlic

preparations (including garlic extract) have been reported.

Biological responses include:

 Reduction of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and cancer

 A stimulation of immune function

 Enhanced foreign compound detoxification

 Radioprotection

 Restoration of physical strength

 Resistance to various stresses and potential anti-aging effects

close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. With a

history of several thousand years of human consumption and use, garlic is native

to Central Asia and north-eastern Iran, and has long been a common seasoning

worldwide. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used both as a food

flavoring and as a traditional medicine.

Allium sativum grows in the wild in areas where it has become naturalized. The

"wild garlic", "crow garlic", and "field garlic" of Britain are members of the

species Allium ursinum, Allium vineale, and Allium oleraceum, respectively.

Identification of the wild progenitor of common garlic is difficult, due to the

sterility of its many cultivars which may all be descended from the species Allium

longicuspis, which grows wild in central and south-western Asia.

In North America, Allium vineale (known as "wild garlic" or "crow garlic") and

Allium canadense, known as "meadow garlic" or "wild garlic" and "wild onion",

are common weeds in fields. So-called elephant garlic is actually a wild leek

(Allium ampeloprasum), and not a true garlic. Single clove garlic (also called

pearl or solo garlic) originated in the Yunnan province of China.

Projection of garlic area and production till

model for forecasting of area and production. ARIMA (0, 1, 1) were obtained on

behalf of 5 year to the front and estimates for garlic area and production which

are specified in Table 3 alongwith 95% assurance period values. For 2012-
13 forecasts of garlic area was about 6.7523 and 59.6594 thousand

hectares with lower and upper limits of 5.5187 and 7.9859 thousand hectares,

respectively. A garlic area forecast for the year 2016-17 was 6.9898 thousand

hectares with lower and upper limits of 3.5892 and 10.3903 thousand hectares,

respectively. Forecasts of garlic production showed an increasing trend. For

2012-13, a forecast value of garlic production was about 57.1124 thousands

tonnes with lower and upper limits of 46.0629 and 68.1620 thousand

tonnes respectively. Garlic production forecast for the year 2016-17 came to

be about 59.6594 thousand tonnes with lower and upper limits of 27.3986

and 91.9202 thousand tonnes, respectively.

Extraction
 It has long been known that extraction of a food can increase its potency

and eliminate unpleasant characteristics.

 The irritating, acidic and oxidizing compounds in raw garlic can be

eliminated or modified by extraction.

 Many of the adverse reactions to garlic can be attributed to an excess of

oil-soluble organosulfur constituents.

 Water-soluble sulfur compounds, which are effective at reducing

cholesterol, were not cytotoxic.

Garlic preparations

 Have been shown to exhibit hypolipidemic, antiplatelet, and procirculatory

effects
  Aged garlic extract (AGE) has been reported to possess hepatoprotective,

immune-enhancing, anticancer and chemoprotective activities.

 In addition, AGE exhibits antioxidative activities, whereas raw or heated

garlic stimulates oxidation.

Reports on Garlic
 Several clinical reports, including meta-analyses, have revealed a

cholesterol-lowering effect of garlic in humans, prompting public awareness

about the cholesterol-lowering effects of garlic.

 Recent publications suggest that not all preparations may be

hypocholestrolemic, causing confusion with both the public and the

academia.

 The cause of this is likely to be related to the components present in the

preparation, the quantity of the preparation provided and/or the duration

of the study.

Facts on Garlic
 According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the

amount of garlic produced in the United States in 1998 was ~252,000

metric tons.

 Over 60% of the garlic consumed worldwide is produced in California.

 Garlic products have experienced increasing popularity in the last decade.

Intake of Garlic?

 The appropriate amount is yet to be determined

~1-2 cloves of garlic or ~4 g of intact garlic per day for health benefits

 However, there was no scientific evidence to back this recommendation.

Garlic supplements
 Essential oil
 Dehydrated powder
 Oil macerate
 Extract

Essential Oil

 Garlic essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of garlic

 The essential oil content of garlic cloves is 0.2-0.5% and consists of a

variety of sulfides.

 Commercially available garlic oil capsules generally contain vegetable oil

and a small amount of garlic essential oil because of pungent odors.

Dehydrated Powder

 Garlic powder is mass-produced as a flavoring agent for condiments and

processed foods.

 Garlic cloves are sliced or crushed, dried and pulverized into powder.

 Garlic powder is thought to retain the same ingredients as raw garlic;

however, the proportions and amounts of various constituents differ

significantly.

Oil Macerate

 Oil macerates were originally developed for use as condiments.

cloves ground into vegetable oil.

Extract

 For garlic extract, whole or sliced garlic cloves are soaked in an extracting

solution (purified water and diluted alcohol) for varying amounts of time.

 After separation of the solution, the extract is generally concentrated and

used.

 Powdered forms of the extract are also available.

 The extract, especially AGE, contains mainly the water-soluble constituents

in garlic and a small amount of the oil-soluble compounds.

Bioavailability of garlic compounds

 SAC is one of the water-soluble organosulfur compounds in garlic, whose

concentration can be detected in the plasma, liver, and kidney after oral

intake.

 Its concentration increases during extraction/aging.

 The pharmokinetics of SAC are well-established.

 Its bioavailability in mice is 103.0%, in rats 98.2%, and in dogs 87.2%.

 From several studies, SAC has proven to be a stable, odorless, water-

soluble compound with the ability to lower cholesterol, serve as an

antioxidant, inhibit the cancer process, and protect the liver from toxins.

 AGE has shown cholesterol-lowering effects in several clinical studies

studies involving garlic consumption because it is detectable and increases

quantitatively in the blood after oral intake of garlic capsules.

 The oil-soluble organosulfur compounds in garlic, including allicin, sulfides,

ajoene, and vinyldithiins are not found in the blood or urine after garlic

consumption.

 They are not likely to be the active compounds.