Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In clinical practice, garlic is used for long-term treatment of hypertension,
128
degenerative heart
disease, and atherosclerosis.
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The medication should be given for an extended period, at least 3
months, to achieve the desired results. A social problem with garlic medication is the persistent
smell. Attempts to present garlic in dosage forms that mask the odor have not been successful since
the disagreeable odor comes about when constituents containing sulfur are eliminated via the skin
and respiratory passages. It has also been observed that reduction of the smell by encapsulation and
adsorption to charcoal invariably leads to reduced activity.
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The dosage is determined relative to
the severity of the condition being treated and lies between 10 and 25 g of the whole drug or 2 and
8 ml of the syrup. Garlic is available in health food shops in the following forms: garlic bulbs, tinc-
ture, capsules, and garlic juice.
Garlic is also used as an expectorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, and diuretic. Extracts of the
plant, as well as the constituents diallyldi- and trisulfides, are active against the
Culex
mosquito. The
isolates were larvicidal at 5 ppm.
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According to some Chinese doctors, application of thin slices of
garlic bulb aided healing during repair of perforations of the eardrum in 17 of 18 patients.
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Although garlic and onion are frequently recommended for degenerative heart disease, an anal-
ysis of the relationship of garlic and onion consumption to mortality from ischemic heart disease
in 27 countries raised doubts about the protective effect of garlic.
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Several clinical trials, however,
have demonstrated the beneficial effects of garlic as a dietary supplement.
Toxicity —
Garlic is not known to cause any serious toxicity when consumed in moderate
quantities. Allicin yields a degradation product that often causes severe halitosis following the
ingestion of large quantities of garlic.
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Contact dermatitis to garlic has been reported.
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There is
a case report of prolonged inhalation of garlic dust by a food industry worker that resulted in the
development of a severe asthmatic reaction with subsequent cross-allergenicity to other plants of
the families Liliaceae or Amaryllidaceae.
135
Garlic medication is contraindicated in ambulatory
patients taking anticoagulant drugs due to possible prolongation of bleeding time. According to
Martindale's Extra Pharmacopoeia
,
205
the administration of preparations of garlic to children is
dangerous, and fatalities have been recorded.
ALOE BARBADENSIS
Botanical Name —
Aloe barbadensis
Miller
Synonyms —
A. vera
.,
A. vulgaris
Lamk.,
A. indica
Royle
Family —
Liliaceae
Common Names —
Aloe vera, curacao aloe, aloe vera gel (AVG)
