More news about garlic.

Garlic's reputation as a powerful healing agent goes back more than 5,000 years. Herbal forklore touted garlic's medicinal benefits in treating a variety of ills such as intestinal disorders, high blood pressure, toothaches, throat disorders, tumors, and more.

By the end of World War 11, hundreds of studies confirmed that garlic works against the microbes that spread such diseases as botulism, diarrhea, staphylococcus, dysentery, and typhoid. However, with the development of "super drugs" like penicillin in the 1940s, garlic research was, for the most part, discontinued.

But today garlic is again making headlines for its medicinal benefits. Extensive studies are being conducted in the United States, Japan, China, India, and elsewhere to determine just how beneficial garlic may be to modern medicine.

Garlic research points to statistics that indicate a below average incidence of heart and artery disease in countries whose inhabitants routinely consume large amounts of garlic and other members of the allium family, such as onions.

Spain, Italy, Korea, Slavic countries, south France, parts of Russia, and China typically have a lower incidence of heart disease. Of course, researchers do not claim garlic as the sole factor responsible for the lower numbers, but they do feel that garlic in the diet of these people is significant.

Evidence that garlic may help prevent certain cancers comes from two counties in the Chinese province of Shandong. Those living in Gangshan County eat about seven garlic cloves a day and have a gastric cancer death rate of 3.45 per 100,000 people. Residents of nearby Quixia County seldom eat garlic. They have a gastric cancer death rate of 40 per 100,000 - nearly 12 times greater than Gangshan County.

The theory is that garlic contains antibacterial and antifungal properties that may inhibit tumor growth.

Research conducted by Dr. Tarig Abdullah and his colleagues at the Akbar Clinic and Research Center in Panama City, Florida, led to the conclusion that raw garlic and the Japanese garlic extract Kyolic dramatically increased the ability of the immune system's natural killer cells. The results of this research could have important implications for the treatment of infections, cancer, and even AIDS. Dr. Abdullah believes that garlic may speed up the immune defenses and may combat many fungal-type infections.

Another major area of garlic research is in blood cholesterol. In an experiment in India each participant drank fresh garlic juice daily (approximately 1/8 cup for a 120-pound person). Blood cholesterol was drastically reduced on average from 305 to 218 in just two months.

Garlic may also help high blood pressure. Actually, garlic has been used in China for decades to reduce high blood pressure.

How much garlic? Exactly how much garlic must you consume in order to reap benefits? Opinions vary. According to Jean Carper, author of The Food Pharmacy, "a mere half a raw garlic clove a day can rev up the blood-clot-dissolving activity that helps prevent heart attacks and strokes. Only a couple raw garlic cloves daily can keep blood cholesterol down in heart patients."

Researchers also point out that test results on garlic's therapeutic capabilities vary because garlic's potency differs from plant to plant depending on the soil conditions in which it was grown.

The big disadvantage. While eating garlic regularly may prove beneficial to your health, there is one drawback: garlic breath. Over the years, a number of remedies have been suggested. Some recommend chewing fennel seeds, drinking milk, or eating honey or yogurt. Chewing fresh parsley is probably the most common way to help alleviate the problem. The chlorophyll in the herb helps to mask the garlic smell.

Raw or cooked? The effectiveness of garlic differs when it is eaten raw and when it is cooked. Raw garlic kills some bacteria, boosts immune functioning, and may help prevent cancer. On the other hand, cooked garlic contributes to lowering blood cholesterol and keeping the blood thin. Eating garlic both raw and cooked provides the maximum benefits.

Of course, at this time all the facts are not yet in concerning the medicinal benefits of garlic. But the possibilities are intriguing.

Cooking With Garlic

You can include garlic in your diet in many delicious ways. Mince two or three cloves of raw garlic and sprinkle it over a salad of greens, tomatoes, onions, or other raw vegetables.

You can alter many recipes to include garlic by simply adding minced, crushed, or grated garlic during or toward the end of the cooking time. Sprinkle chopped garlic over steamed vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, or squash.

Keep in mind that when you crush or grate garlic, more oil is released, giving a stronger flavor. Also, the longer garlic is cooked, the milder the taste.

Try soaking the garlic cloves in cold water for several minutes to make peeling easier. Cracking the clove with the handle of a knife or a pestle also works well. Try one of these recipes.

Garlic Pita Bread

Combine 1/4 cup low-fat margarine, melted, and three to four garlic cloves, grated. Cut pita rounds into quarters. Brush with garlic butter mixture, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Place on baking sheet and bake for about five minutes at 400 [degrees] F. Delicious with soups, salads, or chili.

Pesto Linguine(*)

4 garlic cloves

2 cups fresh basil or parsley

leaves

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil

3 ounces Parmesan cheese,

freshly grated

In blender or food processor, combine garlic, basil or parsley, nuts, salt, and half the oil. Puree, slowly adding remaining oil. Transfer to mixing bowl and add grated cheese. Toss immediately with linguine.

(*)Pesto sauce can be frozen up to four months. When freezing, leave out cheese and add it before serving.

Garlic Kills

Some

Bacteria

As scientists struggle to find new ways to fight bacteria that resist almost every drug in the antibiotic arsenal, a group of Boston University School of Medicine researchers have made a significant discovery about garlic. It's a surprisingly effective weapon against some of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia. Researchers found that an aqueous extract of fresh garlic cloves was effective against more than a dozen common strains of bacteria.