The Garlic Discussion

[Mellifera]

Dug these up when I was discussing garlic on GITMR. Is garlic a health giving natural antibiotic? Or a life-sucking irritant, as proponents of natural hygiene say? As usual, the answer lies somewhere in between.

Here are two articles that discuss garlic:
Intake of Garlic and Its Bioactive Components
Harunobu Amagase, et al.
Clarifying the Real Bioactive Constituents of Garlic1
Harunobu Amagase
Both from the American Society of Nutritional Scientists.
download

Both are very good reads, but I'll pull out the relevant stuff
- In most traditional cultures, garlic is treated with substances like vinegar, alcohol, wine, or dairy, cooked, or aged to reduce the irritating, acidic and oxidizing compounds in raw garlic
- raw garlic juice injected directly into the guts of mice produced significant damage to the gut mucosa
-"Freshly crushed garlic is chemically unstable and has been shown to cause undesirable side effects, such as stomach disorders (Desai et al. 1990, Nakagawa et al. 1980) and allergic reactions
(Lybarger et al. 1982)."
-"Raw-garlic preparations containing allicin can cause chemical burns on the skin, contact dermatitis, and bronchial asthma (71,72). Oil-soluble sulfur compounds are irritants and allergens, and topically applied DAS is the most allergenic (105). When administered orally to laboratory animals, garlic causes stomach ulcers, anemia, decrease in serum protein, inhibition of spermatogenesis, and a decrease in intestinal flora (2,73–75)."
-these ill effects were not seen in aged raw garlic extracts
-in normal cooked consumption of garlic, the antibiotic compounds don't survive long enough to effect gut flora
-the bioactive compounds that do survive have many positive effects and no known toxic effcts

I would surmise based on these articles that traditional cultures knew what they were doing with garlic and did not consume it raw or in raw juices. Cooked garlic is delicious and as I am no longer 100% raw, I don't see any reason to be afraid of it. When cooking garlic the traditional Asian way, I've never had any problems with weird odors in my breath or skin.

I would also note that ALL foods contain toxins and harmful substances to one degree or another, so it's best to simply eat those where the benefits outweigh these. I think foods like garlic and potatoes only become a problem when they are added to raw foods diets even though they have never been traditionally eaten raw.

[Stina York]

I have a boyfriend and a big part of relationships is about food. We often stir-fry vegetables in coconut oil after giving up stir-frying in olive oil about six months ago. I really enjoy lots of caramelized onions and also include garlic in there too. I feel no ill affect. As a matter of fact, I feel good after these "hot salads." I haven't had anywhere to process more info about eating healthy cooked vegetables. I'm glad you brought this up. I'm comfortable I also don't overdo the cooked garlic; it's maybe 1 to 3 times a week.

[RawZi]

You need a password for the "encrypted file". At least it asked me for one every time I tried to open the garlic things from the ASNS.

I ate raw cheese and venison tartar at a restaurant last night. The cheese was served with about a heaping teaspoon of carmelized onion with fennel seed on the side. I did eat it. I had a small cramp when I got home. It likely was the onion. I passed stool right away, a normal stool, and the cramp was gone.

I was still 100% raw last year, and then I ate a boiled potato (no dressing/seasoning) and I suffered. Cooked starch is not agreeing with me.

Last year, after that, I got a life threatening infection. I did go to a doctor. He did prescribe me antibiotics. I still have the full bottle. I normally hate onions. I wasn't eating them, but during that infection I suddenly craved them. I ate a big raw salad consisting of mostly just sliced raw onions. My infection cleared completely and quick and it clearing at all seemed to surprise the doctor. He was really scared the infection would kill me even if I took the antibiotic. It was kind of sweet, he called me at home checking on me less than twenty-four hours after I came in with the infection.

For a while (years ago) I ate cooked grain, cooked legumes, cooked vegetables, etc. I got infections sometimes. I used raw garlic to get rid of them. It worked, but the garlic also irritated my intestinal tract. I took four cloves per day for ten days straight each time. I'm sure I smelled lovely.

I did eat a little scallion when I was doing Living Food Lifestyle. I had to be very careful with the alium, or it would ruin the taste of the cultures for me. The scallion that way I think did me no harm, tasted good, and probably did no miracle healing in itself, just balanced flavor of certain things.

[sandy]

I was not able to open the file either. That is so interesting Rawzi, about you craving the onions. For the last couple of months i am wanting to eat more & more raw onions accompanying whatever it is that i may have for a meal. I will eat like half of a whole raw onion with my meal! & i like it (my boyfriend has a problem with it though:O).I can eat a whole raw onion in one day's worth of meals now. i think i am needing the sulfur or something. Raw garlic i like & eat occasionally but am not as drawn to eat as the onions (usually white or yellow).

[RawZi]

Hi Sandy. Yes, the onions I ate were somewhat strong (white), which was good. I made a pate with raw onion about a month and a half ago, and I was disappointed flavor-wise, as it was a Vidalia and very weak.

I don't think my husband recognizes any smell as malodorous except fish and seaweed.

Flavor-wise or how I smell to myself, I normally hate onion and like garlic.

My son who I have mentioned in other discussions has gotten gas that does not come out, each time, ever since having vinegar treated onion one time. It was white vinegar, and neither of us have done well with white vinegar.

Anyone know which grain is used for white vinegar? Rice vinegar doesn't seem to bother as much as regular commercial vinegar.

[sandy]

not sure about the white vinegar but i wouldn't touch the commercial stuff. It seems like it's made of inexpensive low grade alcohol or something. I use Bragg's raw organic apple cider vinegar when i feel like i want something vinegary--that feels like it has life:)

[RawZi]

Raw fruit vinegar is the best vinegar in my opinion too, and out of those, same as you, Bragg's is excellent.

[Erin]

Raw garlic is one of the few foods that gives me indigestion.
Last year I went through a phase where my yin energies were way too low in my heart and anything spicy, warm or pungent actually gave me nightmares. I was eating a lot of kimchee at the time and having crazy, vivid dreams and lots of nightmares.
Somehow I made the connection, after doing some reading and when I stopped with those foods, the dreaming died way down.
I'm OK now and I'll use a little cooked garlic (and I love carmelized onions;)

[Mark R]

I like juicing garlic with my greens. It seems to clean up and kill some of the nasties in my blood. Go easy on it though, I once did like 6 cloves and remember getting some very strange looks at the barbers!