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home / 世界杯决赛2022

the right chemistry: the virtues of garlic

while garlic may be poisonous to vampires, it has a decidedly opposite effect on humans. it is the most commonly used “health food” in the world.

by joe schwarcz

oct 28 2022
read time 4 minute read
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the night is cold and misty. the eerie silence is broken only by the occasional howl of a wolf. a perfect night for vampires! prepare the crosses, sharpen the wooden stakes and, most important, start digging up the garlic! transylvanian peasants will tell you that vampires just hate the stuff. where do they get these ideas? well, there just may be some science behind this engaging bit of folklore.
the basis of the vampire legend may be a rare inherited disease, known as iron deficiency porphyria. in this condition the body cannot properly utilize iron to form the essential oxygen-carrying compound, hemoglobin. this leads to a waxy pallor, extreme sensitivity to sunlight and receding gums, all characteristics of a vampire. but what’s the garlic connection? it turns out that allyl disulphide, one of many compounds found in garlic, activates an enzyme that destroys old blood cells by removing iron from hemoglobin. so garlic can destroy whatever viable hemoglobin the vampire still possesses. the trouble is you have to get the garlic into the vampire’s bloodstream. inviting the vampire to sit down for a bowl of garlic soup will not work. their diet is limited to human blood. perhaps a prospective victim can be convinced for the greater good to load up on garlic and submit to the vampire’s passion. when he drinks her blood, he’ll get a good dose of garlic and hopefully succumb to its effects. in this way the messy business with the stake through the heart can be avoided.
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while garlic may be poisonous to vampires, it has a decidedly opposite effect on humans. in fact, it is the most commonly used “health food” in the world. over the years, in addition to its well-known anti-vampiric effect, garlic has been recommended as a treatment for a variety of ailments as well as a general body tonic. the egyptians fed large doses to their slaves to keep them strong and healthy, the ancient greeks claimed that garlic would “open obstructions” in the body,and in india lotions made from the bulb have long been used for the washing of wounds and ulcers. more recently, an american food faddist with the intriguing name of adolphus hohensee urged his followers to “cure low blood pressure, inhibit germs and cleanse the blood and intestines” by using a clove of garlic as a suppository at night. the taste of garlic in the mouth upon waking up was “proof” that the miraculous substance had worked its way through the body and had indeed cleansed the system.
what does modern science say? without a doubt, garlic juice does have an antibacterial effect. the juice was used in both world wars as an antiseptic for the prevention of gangrene. the active ingredient appears to be allicin, the compound responsible for the odour of garlic. allicin is the garlic’s natural protective factor, guarding the bulb against attack by fungi, animals and insects. indeed it is well known that mosquitos shy away from garlic eaters. but then again, so do people. allicin has been clinically tested as an antibiotic, but it has never made it to the market place due to the substance’s antisocial odour and the availability of far better antibiotics. it is noteworthy though, that four condemned criminals who were forced to bury the dead during an outbreak of the plague in france in the 18th century proved to be immune to the disease. credit was given to the concoction of macerated garlic in wine that they consumed. “vinaigre des quatre voleurs” is still available in france today.
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the garlic bulb is virtually odour free until it is cut or crushed. it is this physical manipulation that destroys cells and leads to the liberation of the enzyme alliinase, which converts the odourless compound alliin to the odiferous allicin. the largest amount of allicin is formed when garlic cloves are peeled and crushed. this is why some noted cooks do not use a garlic press, preferring instead to slice the cloves to impart only a hint of flavour. on the other hand, if we are looking at the potential medicinal value of garlic, we want the allicin, so crushing the cloves is in order. but don’t cook these right away. it takes about 15 minutes for the liberated enzyme to do its job. if you toss the garlic into the saucepan right away, the heat will destroy the enzyme and with it, some of the medicinal potential.
the study of garlic as a medicine is complicated by the fact that besides allicin, the bulb contains literally hundreds of compounds. two of these are of particular interest because of their ability to interfere with the clotting action of blood. allyl methyl trisulphide, a substance notoriously difficult to isolate in quantity from garlic bulbs, can now be synthesized in the laboratory. a second compound, a non-smelly component of garlic known as ajoene, appears to have an even stronger antithrombotic effect. it also lends itself to laboratory synthesis and has potential to find a place alongside aspirin, heparin and coumadin as a commonly used anticoagulant medication. the presence of these compounds in garlic extracts, powders, pills or lotions marketed in health food stores is questionable. if there is to be a protective effect, it is to be found in the consumption of fresh garlic, and lots of it. but then there is the issue of a garlicky smell, feeling hot, burning urine, heartburn, flatulence and belching. on the other hand, garlic-lovers claim increased energy and enhanced sexual desire.

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so blood and garlic are obviously related, which is where we started our story. as far as scientific evidence for protection against vampires goes, i cook with a lot of garlic and have never felt a vampire breathing down my neck at night.
joe.schwarcz@mcgill.ca
joe schwarcz is director of mcgill university’s office for science & society (mcgill.ca/oss). he hosts the dr. joe show on cjad radio 800 am every sunday from 3 to 4 p.m.

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