You are my Antiviral

It besieges me to think that after all this time, all of these medical breakthroughs, the human genome project and copious amounts of research, that we have yet to put a highly concentrated dose of garlic extract on the shelves, or in a prescription bottle for combating viruses.  Garlic has been used for ages medicinally, and we are just beginning to conduct research with the hopes of proving these seemingly superstitious wives’ tales to be true.

Antiviral properties have been verified in studies involving garlic and several viruses, on humans, in plants, and animals.  The list is pretty much every virus I have ever heard about, and yes, each of them was affected by the contents of garlic.  From grape vines, embryonated chicken eggs, and even human papillomavirus, garlic has been proven to be effective!

One of the first real human trials of the antiviral properties of garlic is from the sixteenth century plague victims in Marseille.  In “1720 garlic was successfully used to save the Marseille population from the plague, according to Antiviral Potential of Garlic (Allium Sativum) and its Organosulfur Compounds.  Likewise, “garlic has been used in African traditional medicine such as in Ethiopia and Nigeria to treat a number of infections including sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, respiratory infections, and wounds…Garlic has been reported to have antiviral activity against human, animal and plant viral infections.”  

How can such a tasty little clove do so many things?  Most of the studies that derive antiviral benefits from garlic are finding the benefits from the organosulfur compounds. Compounds, such as Allicin, Ajoene, Diallyl Sulfide, Diallyl disulfide, Thiosulfinate, S-allyl cysteine and S-allyl mercaptan.  A few of these, such as Allicin, Ajoene, and Thiosulfinate, require the garlic cloves to be crushed, chopped or chewed to be created.  They are actually created from the friction and abrasion of substances that existed before them.  So, the crushing, chewing, and chopping of garlic create a completely new organosulfur compound; amazing! If there were an Easter egg hunt for humanity, garlic would be a trophy. 

The mechanism by which garlic has been proven to inhibit viruses varies.  According to the article, Antiviral Potential of Garlic (Allium Sativum) and its Organosulfur Compounds,    “research shows that crude garlic extract and its OSCs, exert their anti-viral activity through interaction with the viral cell surface charge molecule and subsequently block or inhibit viral entry into host cells.  Also,  “Antiviral Potentials of Garlic (Allium Sativum) in Poultry Production: A Mini Review”, has found that when introduced to fertilized chicken embryos infected by certain viruses, garlic extract “inhibited the expression of some specific selected viral genes”.  So, garlic extract actually stopped the potency of a virus or stopped the virus from acting like a virus entirely by altering the genes of the virus, therefore inhibiting the virus from affecting the cell!

It’s important to note, that according to the article, Antiviral Potential of Garlic (Allium sativum) and its Organosulfur Compounds,

“randomized clinical trials on different commercial garlic preparations also showed that garlic played a significant therapeutic role in various viral infections such as cold and flu, viral-induced hepatitis, viral-associated warts as well as immune enhancing activities in viral infected patients.”  History has shown, ancestral knowledge has passed it on, and recent clinical studies have proven that garlics antiviral properties are worthy of being defined as an antiviral medication.