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Garlic: Wards Off Evil Spirits . . . and Alzheimer’s?
During the Middle Ages, garlic was used to ward off evil spirits. Today, we know that when eaten in quantity, garlic can repel all kinds of spirits, friendly and evil alike. But, you may not know that garlic can help ward off neurological diseases. Recent studies suggest that Alzheimer’s disease is among the diseases that may be prevented or treated by aged garlic extract.
How is garlic extract helpful?
A member of the allium family (aromatic root vegetables such as onion and leek), garlic has powerful antioxidant properties. Studies have shown that aged garlic extract can reduce the risk or impact of several disease conditions, including:
- cardiovascular disease,
- stroke,
- cancer,
- sickle-cell anemia, and,
- Alzheimer’s disease.
How can garlic reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease?
A researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago, N. B. Chauhan, found that aged garlic extract can reduce the amount of amyloid beta in the brains of treated mice. Amyoid beta (Abeta) is found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and is know to interfere with neuronal communications and to reduce the birth of neurons in the brain. Chauhan studied the effects of mice whose DNA had been altered to include genes related to Alzheimer’s disease. He reports
[dietary garlic increased sAPPalpha by 25% and decreased Abeta40 and Abeta42 by 31% and 32%, respectively, compared to untreated [transgenic mice carrying Swedish double mutation].
Chauhan also found in a later study that feeding aged garlic extract to transgenic mice stopped mild cognitive impairment from worsening.
Researchers in India also found support for garlic’s interference with Abeta. They found that an active ingredient in garlic (S-allyl-l-cysteine) prevented the death of neurons by preventing amyloid beta from forming.
What does this research mean for Alzheimer’s disease?
Findings support the notion that aged garlic extract can reduce the amount of amyloid beta found in the brains of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. They also suggest that taking aged garlic extract can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, aged garlic extract may serve a preventative as well as a therapeutic function for Alzheimer’s disease.
Use with care
Aged garlic extract is inexpensive.and easy to find on drugstore shelves In addition, aged garlic extract does not usually produce the unpleasant odor that sometimes surrounds people who eat substantial amounts of garlic.
Following package directions, take aged garlic extract only with meals to avoid stomach upsets. Do not exceed the recommended dosage because taking too much can have a toxic effect on the heart.
Try this therapy for three months, recording your own impressions of cognitive function daily. Expect to see improvements over time.
References
Borek C.,Antioxidant health effects of aged garlic extract. J Nutr. 2001 Mar;131(3s)
Gupta VB, Rao KS. Anti-amyloidogenic activity of S-allyl-L-cysteine and its activity to destabilize Alzheimer’s beta-amyloid fibrils in vitro. Neurosci Lett. 2007 Dec 18;429(2-3):75-80. Epub 2007 Sep 29.
Chauhan NB.Anti-amyloidogenic effect of Allium sativum in Alzheimer’s transgenic model Tg2576. J Herb Pharmacother. 2003;3(1):95-107.
Chauhan NB, Sandoval Amelioration of early cognitive deficits by aged garlic extract in Alzheimer’s transgenic mice. J. Phytother Res. 2007 Jul;21(7):629-40.Click here to read Links
Takasu J, Uykimpang R, Sunga MA, Amagase H, Niihara Y. Aged garlic extract is a potential therapy for sickle-cell anemia. J Nutr. 2006 Mar;136(3 Suppl):