From:
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Garlic (Allium sativum) / HU SUAN
Facts from Dr. Earl Mindell's, "Herb Bible"
Facts:
Garlic may be the wonder drug of the herbal world. The ancient
Egyptians not only worshipped garlic but fed it to their slaves
to keep them healthy, for good reason. This amazing herb does
everything from aid in the treatment of ear infections to help
prevent heart disease and cancer. It has even been to treat
tuberculosis, with good results. Biologist Louis Pasteur put garlic
to the test by putting a few cloves in a petri dish full of
bacteria. Much to his suprise, he discovered that garlic could
indeed kill troublesome microorganisms.
In the 1950's, Dr.. Albert Schweitzer used garlic to treat
cholera, typhus, and amoebic dysentery while working as a
missionary of antibiotics, garlic was used on the battlefield to
disinfect wounds and prevent gangrene, In fact, the Soviet army
relied so heavily on garlic that it earned the name "Russian
penicillin."
Garlic is also used as an anticoagulant to resolve fresh blood
clots and has been shown to lower cholesterol while increasing the
level of beneficial HDLs (high-density lipoproteins), the so-called
good cholesterol. Garlic also lowers blood pressure. In fact,
according to a study published in _Atherosclerosis_ when patients
with hyperlipoproteinemia ate garlic, blood pressure declined
along with levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and fibrinogen.
An added bonus was that anticlotting factor levels increased,
reducing the risk of blood clots.
There is evidence that garlic can effect the mortality rate of
heart attack victims. Researcher Arun Noria at Tagore Medical
college in Udaipur, India, monitored 432 heart attack survivors
for three years. Half the group drank the juice of six to ten
garlic cloves each day. the other half drank a garlic-sented
placebo. The garlic eaters experianced 32 percent fewer deaths
and 45 percent fewer deaths.
Hippocrates (460B.C.) is believed to have used garlic to treat
utrine cancer. We now know that garlic is toxic to some tumor
cells and is being investigated by the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) for its cancer-inhibiting properties. According to a recent
NCI study of four thousand people from regions of Italy and China,
those who recalled eating diets high in garlic and other alliums,
including onions, had a substantially lower incidence of stomach
cancer than those who abstained from this pungent herb. garlic oil
can relieve earaches and can help heal minor skin disorders. On
top of everything else, garlic is good for indigestion.
Chinese Facts:
Since the sixth century, the Chinese have used garlic as an
antibiotic and an antiflammatory. It is still an extremely popular
herb in China, and is used to treat amoebic dysentery, yeast
infections, and middle ear infections. Externally, it is used for
nosebleeds and snake and insect bites.
Caution:  Eating 10 or more raw garlic cloves a day can be toxic
and in some cases can trigger an allergic reaction. Garlic should
not be used by women who are breast-feeding because it can pass to
the breast milk and cause colic in infants.
The Great Garlic Mystery
During the Great Plague epidemic, some herbalists avoid this deadly
disease by eating large amounts of garlic and wearing garlic strands
around their necks. To this day, we don't know whether garlic's
antibiotic properties protected these people against plague, or
whether the foul stench of the herb discouraged others from getting
close enough to spread their infection.
Part Used:  Bulb
Common Use:  Quickens circulation; Anthelmintic (expels or
destroys intestinal worms); Antiviral, antibacterial, antispasmodic;
Reduces high blood pressure, blood cholestrial; Immune support for
respirtory system, bronchitis, catarrh, colds, flu and cough; Natural
source for germanium.
Dosage:  16-32 drops.
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