Kyolic Aged Garlic - Cardiovascular Formula 100 (capsules)

Garlic has been shown to prevent atherosclerosis in a four-year double-blind trial.¹ The preparation used, standardized for 0.6% allicin content, provided 900 mg of garlic powder per day. The people in this trial were 50 to 80 years old, and the benefits were most notable in women. This trial points to the long-term benefits of garlic to both prevent and possibly slow the progression of atherosclerosis in people at risk.

Garlic has also lowered cholesterol levels in double-blind research,² though more recently, some double-blind trials have not found garlic to be effective.^{3, 4, 5} Some of the negative trials have flaws in their design.⁶ Nonetheless, the relationship between garlic and cholesterol-lowering is somewhat unclear.⁷

Garlic has also been shown to prevent excessive platelet adhesion (stickiness) in humans.⁸ Allicin, often considered the main active component of garlic, is not alone in this action. The constituent known as ajoene has also shown beneficial effects on platelets.⁹ Aged garlic extract, but not raw garlic, has been shown, to prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol in humans,¹⁰ an event believed to be a significant factor in the development of atherosclerosis.

Garlic and ginkgo also decrease excessive blood coagulation. Both have been shown in double-blind¹¹ and other controlled¹² trials to decrease the overactive coagulation of blood that may contribute to atherosclerosis.

Numerous medicinal plants and plant compounds have demonstrated an ability to protect LDL cholesterol from being damaged by free radicals. Garlic,¹³ ginkgo,¹⁴ and guggul¹⁵ are of particular note in this regard. Garlic and ginkgo have been most convincingly shown to protect LDL cholesterol in humans.

Garlic has a moderate blood pressure-lowering effect, according to two meta-analyses (one of 10 randomized controlled trials and the other of 15 randomized controlled trials).¹² These trials usually administered garlic for at least four weeks, typically using 600–900 mg of garlic extract per day. The blood pressure-lowering effect of garlic was greater in people with high blood pressure than in those with normal blood pressure. Onion—closely related to garlic—may also have a mild blood pressure-lowering effect, according to preliminary research.³

Reports on many clinical trials of garlic performed until 1998 suggested that triglycerides were lowered by an average of 8–27% and cholesterol by 9–12% over a one- to four-month period.^{1, 2, 3} Most of these trials used 600–900 mg per day of a garlic supplement standardized to alliin content and allicin potential. More recently, however, three double-blind clinical trials have found garlic to have minimal success in lowering triglycerides and cholesterol.^{4, 5, 6} One negative trial has been criticized for using a steam distilled garlic “oil” that has no track record for this purpose,⁷ while the others used the same standardized garlic products as the previous positive clinical trials. Based on these findings, the use of garlic should not be considered a primary approach to lowering high triglycerides and cholesterol.⁸

Odor-controlled, enteric-coated garlic tablets standardized for allicin content can be taken in the amount of 900 mg daily (providing 5,000–6,000 mcg of allicin), divided into two or three daily portions.

A standardized extract of garlic has been tested as a treatment for intermittent claudication. In a double-blind trial, the increase in walking distance was significantly greater in people receiving garlic powder extract (400 mg twice per day for 12 weeks) than in those given a placebo.¹

In a double-blind trial, participants took one capsule per day of a placebo or a garlic supplement that contained stabilized allicin (the amount of garlic per capsule was not specified) for 12 weeks between November and February. During that time, the garlic group had 63% fewer colds and 70% fewer days ill than did the placebo group.¹ In another double-blind study of healthy volunteers, supplementing with 2.6 grams per day of an aged-garlic extract for 90 days decreased by 58% the number of days on which severe cold or influenza symptoms occurred.²

Herbs that directly attack microbes include the following: chaparral, eucalyptus, garlic, green tea, lemon balm (antiviral), lomatium, myrrh, olive leaf, onion, oregano, pau d’arco (antifungal), rosemary, sage, sandalwood, St. John’s wort, tea tree oil, thyme, and usnea.

Garlic may assist in combating opportunistic infections. In one trial, administration of an aged garlic extract reduced the number of infections and relieved diarrhea in a group of patients with AIDS.¹ Garlic’s active constituents have also been shown to kill HIV in the test tube, though these results have not been confirmed in human trials.²

Garlic has been demonstrated to kill parasites, including amoeba¹ and hookworm,² in test tubes and in animals. Older studies in humans support the use of garlic to treat roundworm, pinworm, and hookworm.³ However, due to a lack of clinical trials, the amount of garlic needed to treat intestinal parasites in humans is not known.

In a preliminary trial, topical application of garlic cloves was used successfully to treat warts in a group of children. A clove was cut in half each night and the flat edge of the clove was rubbed onto each of the warts, carefully cleaning the surrounding areas, so as not to spread any garlic juice. The areas were covered overnight with Band-Aids or waterproof tape and were washed in the morning. In all cases, the warts cleared completely after an average of nine weeks.¹ In another study, 23 people with warts applied an oil-soluble garlic extract twice a day to the warts. Complete recovery was seen in every case after one to two weeks. A water-soluble garlic extract was less effective.² Side effects after application of the oil-soluble extract included blistering, redness, burning, and increased pigmentation of the skin around the application area, which usually disappeared completely in one to two weeks. Zinc oxide ointment was applied to the surrounding normal skin in all cases in an attempt to prevent these side effects.

The compound known as ajoene, found in garlic, is an antifungal agent. In a group of 34 people using a 0.4% ajoene cream applied once per day, 79% of them saw complete clearing of athlete’s foot after one week; the rest saw complete clearing within two weeks.¹ All participants remained cured three months later. One trial found a 1% ajoene cream to be more effective than the standard topical drug terbinafine for treating athlete’s foot.² Ajoene cream is not yet available commercially, but topical application of crushed, raw garlic may be a potential alternative application.

In many parts of Europe, herbal supplements are considered standard medical treatment for BPH. Although herbs for BPH are available without prescription, men wishing to take them should be monitored by a physician.

In a preliminary study, supplementation with a special aged garlic extract (Kastamonu Garlic) in the amount of 1 ml per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day for one month resulted in a 32% reduction in the size of the prostate gland and a significant improvement in urinary symptoms.¹ It is not known whether other forms of garlic would have the same effect.

Garlic has been reported to have anti-Helicobacter activity in test-tube studies.^{1, 2} In a preliminary trial, garlic supplementation (300 mg in tablets three times daily for eight weeks) failed to eradicate H. pylori in participants with active infections.³ In another preliminary trial, participants with active H. pylori infections added 10 sliced cloves of garlic to a meal.⁴ The addition of garlic failed to inhibit the growth of the organism. Further trials using garlic extracts are needed to validate the anti-Helicobacter activity of garlic observed in test tubes. Until then, evidence to support the use of garlic for H. pylori-related peptic ulcers remains weak.

Ear drops with mullein, St. John’s wort, and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections. No clinical trials have investigated the effects of these herbs in people with ear infections. Moreover, oil preparations may obscure a physician’s view of the ear drum and should only be used with a healthcare professional’s directions.

Ear drops with mullein, St. John’s wort, and garlic in an oil or glycerin base are traditional remedies used to alleviate symptoms, particularly pain, during acute ear infections. No clinical trials have investigated the effects of these herbs in people with ear infections. Moreover, oil preparations may obscure a physician’s view of the ear drum and should only be used with a healthcare professional’s directions.

Numerous herbs are used traditionally around the world to promote production of breast milk.¹ Herbs that promote milk production and flow are known as galactagogues. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) enriches and increases the flow of breast milk and restores the mother’s energy following childbirth.²Vitex (Vitex agnus castus) is one of the best-recognized herbs in Europe for promoting lactation. An older German clinical trial found that 15 drops of a vitex tincture three times per day could increase the amount of milk produced by mothers with or without pregnancy complications compared with mothers given vitamin B1 or nothing. Vitex should not be taken during pregnancy.³ Goat’s rue (Galega officinalis) also has a history of use in Europe for supporting breast-feeding. Taking 1 teaspoon of goat’s rue tincture three times per day is considered by European practitioners to be helpful in increasing milk volume.⁴ Studies are as yet lacking to support the use of goat’s rue as a galactagogue. In two preliminary trials, infants have been shown to nurse longer when their mothers ate garlic than when their mothers took placebos.^{5, 6} However, some infants may develop colic if they consume garlic in breast milk.

Garlic has demonstrated significant antifungal activity against C. albicans in both animal and test tube studies.^{1, 2, 3} Greater anti-Candida activity has resulted from exposing Candida to garlic, than to nystatin—the most common prescription drug used to fight Candida.⁴ No clinical studies of garlic in the treatment of candidiasis have yet been conducted. However, some doctors suggest an intake equal to approximately one clove (4 grams) of fresh garlic per day; this would equal consumption of a garlic tablet that provides a total allicin potential of 4,000 to 5,000 mcg.

Garlic has demonstrated significant antifungal activity against C. albicans in both animal and test tube studies.^{1, 2, 3} Greater anti-Candida activity has resulted from exposing Candida to garlic, than to nystatin—the most common prescription drug used to fight Candida.⁴ No clinical studies of garlic in the treatment of candidiasis have yet been conducted. However, some doctors suggest an intake equal to approximately one clove (4 grams) of fresh garlic per day; this would equal consumption of a garlic tablet that provides a total allicin potential of 4,000 to 5,000 mcg.