Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years across virtually every traditional healing system. When garlic cloves are crushed, the enzyme alliinase converts alliin to allicin, the compound responsible for garlic's pungent odour and many of its acute biological effects. However, allicin is unstable and rapidly degrades, which is why aged garlic extract (AGE), produced by ageing sliced garlic in ethanol for 20 months, has become the preferred supplemental form — its key compound S-allylcysteine (SAC) is stable, standardisable, and well-absorbed. Clinical trials consistently demonstrate that garlic supplementation reduces systolic blood pressure by 5–8 mmHg, lowers total and LDL cholesterol by 10–15%, and may slow atherosclerotic plaque progression. Additional research supports antimicrobial, immune-modulating, and cancer-preventive properties, though the evidence for these claims is less robust.