Put Garlic Where!?

Garlic and Vampires

2005-11-09T02:16:00.000-08:00

Many cultures throughout history include garlic in their folklore. Long before Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, garlic had been considered by many cultures to have been a vampire repellent. So why do cultures separated both geographically and through the space of time attribute similar mythical properties to garlic? The most popular theory explaining this phenomenon has to do with garlic's proven natural mosquito-repelling properties. Numerous historic cultures were aware that mosquitoes did not like Garlic, and this may have lead to garlic's association with vampires. Mosquitoes suck blood and in doing so can spread disease - so do vampires. Furthermore, several symptoms of malaria, namely fever, exhaustion and anemia are concurrent with the alleged symptoms occurring after a vampire bite. So, does garlic really work against vampires? A scientific study documenting this is rather difficult to perform today due to the lack of vampires, but one recent study attempted to mimic the effect of vampires with blood-sucking leeches:

"In strictly standardized research surroundings, the leeches were to attach themselves to either a hand smeared with garlic or to a clean hand. The garlic-smeared hand was preferred in two out of three cases (95% confidence interval 50.4% to 80.4%). When they preferred the garlic the leeches used only 14.9 seconds to attach themselves, compared with 44.9 seconds when going to the non-garlic hand (p < 0.05). The traditional belief that garlic has prophylactic properties is probably wrong. The reverse may in fact be true."

Surprisingly, the study shows that garlic actually attracted the leeches instead of repelling them. Of course, we will never conclusively know garlic's affect on vampires until a conclusive scientific study utilizing real vampires is carried out.

Garlic and Nerves

2005-11-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

According to a study done in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers believe that garlic widens arteries using the nervous system. Specifically, the pungency of the bulb triggers sensory cells on the tongue and the nose to activate the TRPA1 protein (transient receptor potential cation channel), which then widens the blood vessels. TRPA1 is found in approximately 75% of all sensory neurons. Professor David Julius, an author of the study, describes TRPA1 “as a door on a cell’s surface” that opens to certain stimuli, allowing charged particles like sodium and calcium to flow in (if enough charged particles flow in, a signal called an action potential will be sent to the brain).

To test garlic’s effects, Julius and his team used rat cells, but they say human cells will react in the same way. They also correlated pain with the benefits in blood pressure, saying that the electric signal sent to the pain-processing sections of the brain because of pungent stimuli like garlic causes a sensation of pain or discomfort. But what is a little pain when your arteries are opening up?

Garlic and Your Heart

2005-11-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

Numerous studies have been done on garlic to determine its effects on the heart. According to VegSource, thirteen of them have shown that garlic lowers cholesterol about four to six percent. Garlic may also lower LDL (“bad” cholesterol), and triglycerides (fats), while raising HDL (desirable cholesterol), and thwarting atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). In essence, garlic decreases the risk of heart attacks. Furthermore, a few randomized trials also suggested garlic’s ability to prevent platelet aggregation, and thrombosis, both of which cause clotting than can lead to heart attack or stroke. Among the many compounds thought to be salutary in garlic, allicin is believed to be responsible for these benefits.

However, the results of these studies are tentative, according to Joe Vinson, a professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, who instead says,

“Garlic lowers your blood pressure, sometimes lowers your cholesterol, sometimes relaxes your arteries. I say sometimes because not every study showed this.”

Regardless of the verdict, garlic’s numerous other benefits, including lowering the risk of cancer, are worth eating a clove every now and then—no matter how skeptical one may be.

White Rot: A Garlic Disease

2005-11-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

The benefits that garlic provides are wonderful, but unfortunately, garlic fails to protect itself from certain diseases such as white rot. White rot disease, Sclerotium cepivorum, is the most common, destructive, and widespread disease that affects the plants in the Allium family such as garlic.

The white rot disease, which is a soil-borne fungus, is temperature dependant. It only attacks garlic when the soil temperature is between 10º-20º Celsius. Infected soil spreads the disease to many garlic plants that are planted near the infected soil. Also, once soil becomes infected, getting rid of the white rot disease is extremely difficult because the disease survives in the soil for at least 15 years. Therefore, long gaps between planting garlic in the same soil effectively protect white rot disease from spreading.

White rot disease can spread in many ways. The most common way is when the infected soil on plants is carried to another location and infects the soil in the new location. Contaminated soil on boots and garden tools also spreads the disease. Rarely, animals’ manure spreads white rot disease after animals eat the affected garlic plant.

According to a Garlic Diseases Website,

“Symptoms include premature yellowing and dying of older leaves, stunting, and leaf tipburn, followed by destruction of the root system, shoot dieback, and rotting of the bulb.”

Since garlic provides so many health benefits, it is important to prevent white rot disease from contaminating garlic plants.

Garlic and Pregnancy

2005-11-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

The list of garlic’s health benefits expands as new research shows that garlic may reduce the pregnancy complications. According to research conducted by Dr. Sooranna, Ms. Hirani, and Dr. Das from the Academic Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, the consumption of garlic during pregnancy has many advantages. First of all, the risk of pre-eclampsia, which is caused by raised blood pressure and protein retained in the urine, is reduced. This condition occurs in about one in ten pregnancies and is a dangerous condition for both the mother and the baby. In their studies, the researchers also discovered that eating garlic during pregnancies may increase the birth weight of babies that would otherwise suffer from a small, unhealthy birth weight. According to the Garlic Information Centre in the United Kingdom,

“experiments by the research team showed that adding extracts of garlic to cells from the placenta of women likely to suffer from these conditions was able to quickly stimulate growth.”

Also, after eating garlic, enzymes that are reduced in abnormal pregnancies are significantly increased in pregnant women. Because of all of the advantages of eating garlic during pregnancy, a pregnant woman should definitely consume at least a clove of garlic daily.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival

2005-11-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

Does the idea of feasting on food

"laced with over two tons of fresh garlic, enjoy[ing] three stages of musical entertainment, shop[ping] in arts and crafts, view[ing] the great garlic cook-off and other celebrity cooking demonstrations, spend[ing] time in the children's area, visit[ing] interactive displays set up by many of our sponsors, soak[ing] up some glorious sunshine, and mingl[ing] with a fun bunch of garlic-loving people"

sound like a good time? Then check out the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. This gathering of garlic lovers takes place every year in Gilroy, California during the last full week in July. This year marks the 27th year the festival has occurred, drawing a total of over 3 million people through the years. The festival has everything from children's activities to music, and of course, gourmet garlic dishes. Best of all, all money raised by the event goes to various deserving charities in the area. In the past, the 4,000 dedicated volunteers that make the festival possible have been able to raise almost 7 million dollars for these local charities. Garlic enthusiasts should check out the website for the Gilroy Garlic Festival if they are looking for something fun to do this summer.

Nutritional Content of Garlic

2005-11-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

Garlic is famous for its many benefits ranging from reducing the risk of certain cancers to controlling a number of pests such as mosquitoes. However, the nutritional content of garlic is not well known. First of all, many minerals can be found in garlic. Some of these minerals include manganese, copper, iron, zinc, sulfur, calcium, aluminum, chlorine, and selenium. A Garlic Nutrition website states that one hundred grams of fresh garlic will provide:

Copper- 0.30 mg
Iron- 1.7 mg
Manganese- 1.12 mg
Phosphorous- 153 mg
Selenium- 14.2 mg
Zinc- 1.16 mg

Compared to other vegetables, the sulfur content of garlic is extremely high; in fact, garlic has the highest sulfur content of all vegetables. Another important mineral found in garlic is selenium because it acts as an antioxidant.

Three medium cloves of garlic contain only 13 calories, 1 gram of protein, 3 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of sodium. The same three medium garlic cloves contain a couple of necessary vitamins including 2.8 mg of vitamin C and traces of all B vitamins except vitamin B12. The presence of 2.3 mg of magnesium, 36.1 mg of potassium, and 16.3 mg of calcium is also important.

Although garlic contains many minerals, vitamins, and other nutritional benefits, it does not provide people with enough of these nutritional benefits. As the Garlic Nutrition website states,

“One shouldn't expect to gain large doses of vitamins from a clove or two of garlic.”

The amount of nutritional content one garlic clove provides is insignificant compared to the daily amount each person needs.

Garlic and the Digestive Tract

2005-11-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

Garlic’s lofty reputation has also developed from its effectiveness as an antibacterial and antifungal agent. According to Better Nutrition, even one clove a day has been proven to aid digestion and reduce bacterial infections including cholera, dysentery, and strep.

Dr. Paul Sherman, a behavioral scientist at Cornell University, believes humans have evolved a taste for spicy food like garlic because the foods are better at killing the germs that cause spoilage. After studying 5000 traditional spices from thirty six countries, he found that the seasoning got spicier as the climate got hotter (since food spoils faster in hot climate). Furthermore, when he examined forty three spices for their ability to kill bacteria, garlic and onions killed all thirty types of bacteria that cause problems in the digestive tract.

Recently, a bacteria named Helicobacter pylori has been attributed to stomach ulcers. In a study done by Chicago University, out of thirty herbs, garlic was one of the most effective in impeding fifteen different strains of helicobacter. The garlic compound called ajoene is mostly responsible for treating stomach ulcers. Garlic is so effective it has been awarded by Herbal Information Center the exalted name,

“Wonder Drug among all herbs.”

With garlic’s protean remedial properties, one may wonder if it really is a panacea.

Diallyl Disulfide and Garlic

2005-10-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

There is no question about garlic’s powerful health benefits. Garlic not only acts as an antioxidant, but also reduces carcinogens, thus decreasing the risk of cancer, and strengthens the immune system. Though the chemistry on the formation of beneficial compounds is not fully understood, researchers have recently begun studying diallyl disulfide (DADS), one of the potent compounds in garlic oil that fight cancer. Numerous studies have proven that diallyl disulfide, a fat-soluble sulfur compound, induced apoptosis (induced suicide of a cell) in lung cancer cells, and inhibited hepatocarcinogenicity (carcinogens in the liver).

Furthermore, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center concluded that diallyl disulfide reduced colonic damage by 47% and the incidence and frequency of colon tumors when it was administered three hours before each carcinogenic injection. Given garlic’s healthy repertoire, numerous studies will continue to be done not only on this impressive compound, but also on the several other compounds including allinase, S-allyl cysteine, both of which have been shown to have salutary properties.

Meanwhile, to maximize the amount of diallyl disulfide for consumption, Gourmet Garlic Gardens says to

“roast the chopped garlic in an oven or microwave itas the heat converts the allicin mostly into DATS and DADS”

or boil it in water in a covered dish for twenty minutes, though some of the compounds will be lost in the steam.

Garlic: A Mosquito Repellent

2005-10-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Having repulsive garlic breath is not a pleasure. However, Pat Kendall, Ph. D., who is a Food Science and Human Nutrition Specialist at the Colorado State University, writes that garlic breath may have its advantages. There have been many studies conducted about garlic’s therapeutic properties, and although garlic’s role in preventing heart disease and cancer is uncertain and debated among people, many studies have confirmed that garlic serves as a good insect-repellent. Pat Kendall states that

“The sulfurs contained within the garlic extract have been shown to be effective against a wide range of insects, including mosquitoes, and the lingering odor can deter mosquitoes from the area for weeks.”

In addition, a number of studies have shown that the oil fraction of garlic successfully kill a certain species of mosquito larvae. In a particular experiment performed in India, a preparation made of 1 percent garlic oil, petroleum jelly and beeswax was rubbed onto people, and this preparation turned out to be effective for up to eight hours. One explanation that Pat Kendall gives for this is that the compounds of the garlic are released from the body through the skin and breath. Therefore, after eating garlic, the sulfur compounds found on the skin and in the breath may act as a repellent for insects like mosquitoes. Since mosquitoes use their sense of smell to detect prey, they keep away from the sulfur scented prey. Although having horrid breath is not attractive, keeping mosquitoes away might be worth the garlic breath.

Allicin and Acute Pulmonary Hypertension

2005-10-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

According to an article found in Science News, there is new evidence to suggest that the allicin found in garlic may help the many people who suffer from a disorder called acute pulmonary hypertension. According to the article:

"The potentially lethal condition can make the right side of the heart work too hard and thus lead to heart failure. This particular form of high blood pressure might be prevented by a daily downing of two cloves of fresh garlic or its powdered equivalent, a new study in rats suggests. "

Pharmacologist David D. Ku and a team of researchers fed pure allicin or over-the-counter garlic supplements containing allicin to laboratory rats over a period of three weeks before administering a chemical that triggers acute pulmonary hypertension. The rats receiving allicin, in pure form or in the form of a supplement, showed protection against the progressive injuries of pulmonary hypertension when compared to those rats that did not. The scientists did note, however, that over-the-counter garlic supplements had no accurate method of informing the user exactly how much allicin they yielded, so an average consumer would have no way of knowing the amount of allicin he or she was consuming.

Maybe there is a ray of hope for garlic supplements after all.

Cooking Garlic

2005-10-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Garlic is not exactly the most pleasant thing to eat raw, both for the consumer as well as anyone within a 10 foot radius, but cooking the garlic can tone down the taste (and smell) as well as produce some very tasty dishes. The longer you cook garlic, the milder its taste becomes, and it can be used quite effectively as a seasoner or flavor adder for all kinds of dishes. However, cooking garlic at a too high temperature is not a good idea and will not ameliorate the unpleasant taste. Unfortunately garlic burns easily, and at high temperatures, its taste becomes bitter. Garlic can be used to flavor pasta, meats, soups, salad dressings or even bread. Almost every culture has dishes which contain garlic, from Italian and Greek food, to Jamaican and Cuban food.

If you want to increase the amount of garlic in your diet without decreasing your number of friends, check out some of the recipes listed on these sites:
http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-recipes.html
http://www.thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/monthlyrecipe.html

Here is a recipe for Baked Broccoli with Garlic straight from The Garlic Store:

1 large bunch broccoli
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil or steam broccoli until tender. Drain and mash. Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat. When they soften, add broccoli and stir to mix. Add bread crumbs and cheese and blend. Remove from heat and stir in egg. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Serves 6.

The Benefits of Ajoene

2005-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

It may seem like allicin is responsible for all the health benefits garlic may have but in reality, “allicin is unstable and immediately begins to break down, eventually yielding a number of other compounds that are responsible for whatever health benefits garlic may have” (Schwarcz 115). One of those other compounds is ajoene, an unsaturated sulfoxide disulfide. Here is a drawing of ajoene:

Richard A. Passwater, Ph.D. interviewed Professor Eric Block, Ph.D. who has carried out extensive research on the sulfur compounds of garlic at the State University of New York at Albany as well as discovering and naming the “ajoenes” in 1984. In the interview, Block discussed the possible health benefits garlic and the compound ajoene. First, Block discussed the five categories of sulfur compounds in garlic. Ajoene fits into the category of really stable compounds which can be stored for more than a year at room temperature. Then, Block went on to discuss the possible health benefits connected to ajoene. It has been shown to possess antithrombotic activity in human platelet suspensions meaning that ajoenes prevent blood clots. It also possesses antitumor activity, inactivate human gastric lipase, as well as shows antifungal activity by inhibiting the growth of many fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Paracoccidioides-Brasiliensis, and Fusarium species.

Professor Eric Block also mentioned an interesting study performed on dogs. He states that

"administration of ajoene to dogs under extracorporeal circulation (as used in open heart surgery) prevents the thrombocytopenia induced by contact of blood with artificial surfaces. In this same study, ajoene showed excellent activity in preventing loss of platelets and in increasing rate of restoration of platelet clotting activity."

Therefore, as Professor Block, the expert of the sulfur compounds of garlic discussed, ajoene may be very beneficial to human health. Not only may it prevent blood clots, tumors, and the growth of fungi, but also provide protection against the risk of heart disease. It is very likely that allicin itself may not be beneficial, but its breakdown compound ajoene may be one of the most beneficial compounds found in garlic.

Growing Garlic

2005-10-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Given its vast medicinal properties, one may be surprised to learn that garlic is pretty easy to grow.

Growing garlic is simple; all one needs are garlic cloves, fertile soil with an ideal pH between 6.0 and 7.0, and a lot of sun. The cloves should be separated from the bulb for no longer than two days before planting. Planting should be done in the fall, several weeks before ground freezing may occur in early winter. Spacing is also an important factor; close spacing tends to yield more but smaller bulbs. Nevertheless, the cloves should be planted about two inches deep or more, depending on the size of the variety, with the points up. By mid July or early August, the bulb plants will be ready for harvesting. Brown leaves on the stalk of the bulbs and tight, full bulbs indicate mature garlic ready to be harvested.

For storage, 60 to 70 percent humidity is advisable with an ideal temperature between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Both types of garlic, softneck and hardneck, will last for a few months.

If one just wants to enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor, moving to California would not be a bad idea. After all,

Most garlic in the U.S. is grown in the mild climate of northern California.
-Extension Service

Garlic Supplements: Buyer Beware

2005-10-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Allicin is the compound produced by garlic which is responsible for most of its supposed beneficial health effects, as well as its putrid odor (refer to first post). Many garlic supplements today will claim to contain allicin, but this is impossible as allicin is far too unstable. Rather, they contain alliin, which can produce allicin. Therefore, it is important to study exactly how much allicin these supplements can produce. According to The Fly in the Ointment:

"A fitting test for allicin release is one sanctioned by US Pharmacopeia (method 72A) that simulates the conditions ecountered by a pill as it travels throught the digestive tract. When this test is applied to commercial garlic supplements, the results are astounding. Over 80 percent of products tested release less than 15 percent of their claimed allicin potential! Clearly these tablets do no deliver the allicin dosage that is thought to be therapeutic." (Schwarcz 115)

Despite these numerous studies that fail to prove the cholesterol-reducing effects of garlic, garlic supplements still find an enormous market. For example, Alimax is just one of several popular supplements and a quick glance at their website shows they still tout health benefites that numerous studies have proven to be false. Clearly, it is important to be very wary of commercial garlic supplements and any health benefits they claim to have.

More information about the chemical makeup and production of allicin can be found at this URL:
http://www.garlic-central.com/allicin-chemistry.html

The Absurdities of Adolphus

2005-10-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

A spokesman for the Tacoma Better Business Bureau once stated about Adolphus Hohensee,

“We feel this man, although lacking formal education, is a shrewd, capable adversary, thoroughly unscrupulous and dangerous.”

Beginning in the 1940s, hearing the name of Adolphus Hohensee probably disgusted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Adolphus Hohensee, who gave many lectures on the benefits of garlic and claimed to be a nutritional expert, “had no scientific background at all” (Schwarcz 114); his schooling ended with one semester of high school level work. He acquired medical degrees by fraud including one from an institution which, according to the American Medical Association (AMA), was listed as unaccredited. Before shifting to nutrition, Hohensee was traced to mail fraud, passing void checks, and four charges of assault. In the 1940s, he started selling remedies and giving lectures about nutrition. However, the FDA soon became his enemy after he was charged with selling drugs without a license, posing as a medical doctor, and selling misbranded remedies. Medical experts testified that Hohensee sold nutritional remedies that were absurd. Adolphus’ hoax escalated as he claimed that a food’s nutrient qualities were lost if it was not prepared with a 195 dollar blender or tenderizer.

The audiences at Hohensee’s lectures were enormous since he made 40 to 50 thousand dollars at lectures in just one city. During his lectures, he convinced audiences by using scientific, grandiloquent words, quoting famous scientists, and referring to studies conducted by government organizations. He convinced his audiences that they were vitamin deprived and suffered from malnutrition and preached that his remedies such as Adolphus apple juice and olive oil could easily solve that. However, his favorite wonder food was garlic. In his lectures he claimed that this was the answer to vitamin deprivation as well cleansing the body. Over the years the FDA and the AMA filed many charges against Hohensee. It is difficult to imagine how thousands of people could believe the absurdities that Adolphus Hohensee proposed.

The Greatness of Garlic

2005-10-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

Garlic has earned a reputation for giving its consumers the notorious “garlic breath” but luckily, its salubrious qualities have also given it much deserved renown. According to Dr. Schwarcz, garlic’s salubrious reputation dates way back to the ancient Egyptians, who fed garlic to their slaves to keep them healthy, and the Greeks, who believed that it opened obstructions in the body. Modern studies have credited garlic with neutralyzing carcinogens, preventing heart disease, enhancing the immune system, and also increasing resistance to cancer; in fact, Dr. Schwarcz writes that according to a study,

…consuming an average of six or more cloves a week lowered the risk of colorectal cancer by 30 percent and stomach cancer by 50 percent when compared with the consumption of less than one clove per week. (116)

Garlic’s protean flairs vary depending on how it is consumed: heated, dried, fresh, etc., but garlic owes its medicinal fame to a single compound allicin, which gives off the various health benefits—as well as the pungent odor.
If this is not enough incentive to go eat some garlic, here’s one more: garlic is also an aphrodisiac, so powerful that according to Garlic Central,

Tibetan monks were forbidden from entering the monastries if they had eaten garlic.

Now, perhaps eating some garlic is worth the garlic breath.

Garlic: Not All It's Cracked up To Be

2005-10-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Throughout history, garlic has been considered by various cultures to have "miraculous" healing properties. However, recent studies and clinical trials have shown that garlic is not all it's been made out to be. Garlic does appear to have some positive health effects in test tubes, but the human body is very different from a controlled laboratory experiment. According to The Fly in the Ointment, numerous garlic studies have shown that "garlic's ability to reduce cholesterol is minimal." One German manufacturer of garlic supplements has sponsored 6 studies detailing the cholesterol-reducing effects of garlic, and still sells these supplements in the United States, despite the fact that 5 out of the 6 studies have shown no positive effects and the supplements are banned in Germany.
Garlic does, however, appear to have a more beneficial effect when it comes to cancer. The Fly in the Ointment cites studies that show that a diet high in garlic (5 to 6 cloves per week) can perhaps reduce cancer by 30 to 50 percent when compared to a diet low in garlic.

Garlic Healing Way Back in Ancient Egypt

2005-10-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

"During the building of the Pyramids, the workers were given garlic daily to give them the vitality and strength to carry on and perform well” from Ancient Egyptian Medicine

It seems like the world and people of 3000 BC should be radically different from the people living in the world today. However, the power of garlic connects the ancient times and recent times together. The belief that garlic has special healing powers did not arise recently, but rather dates back to 5,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that garlic provided vitality, aided digestion, shrank hemorrhoids, and cleansed the body from “evil spirits” probably because of the foul smell. In addition, they used garlic to treat wounds, infections, tumors, and intestinal parasites.
As Dr.Schwarcz in The Fly in the Ointment states, “ancient Egyptians fed large doses of garlic to their slaves to keep them strong and healthy.” During the building of the pyramids, the ancient Egyptians fed garlic to the workers daily in order to provide them with the maximum strength and endurance to build. Garlic bulbs were discovered in King Tutankhamen's tomb evidently showing that garlic was an important part of his life. How can one be sure that garlic used for medical purposes goes back to 3000 BC? Sanskrit records of garlic use that date back 5000 years from the Smith Papyrus, records from the Chinese Tang Dynasty, and 3500 year old Egyptian medical text all prove how medically important garlic was. Therefore, all the claims that garlic prevents cancer and improves agility and strength have their roots in Ancient Egypt.

Other reading suggestions:
Egyptian Remedies

Why Garlic Stinks

2005-10-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has ever cringed while crushing a garlic clove may have asked why garlic smells so awful. Though the chemistry of the smell is still not fully understood, garlic is known to release allinase, an enzyme stored in separate cells in the clove, when the clove is broken and its cells are ruptured. This begins a reaction that produces the malodorous smell. After it is released, allinase mixes with the odorless amino acid alliin, and converts it to allicin, the fetid culprit.

Allicin is garlic’s natural defense when it is injured; the author of Allicin.com calls it “mother nature's insecticide." Its sulfur molecules, like those present in rotten eggs, are responsible for its unpleasant aroma. It is also responsible for yielding the compounds ascribed to health benefits, but any claim that products contain allicin can be repudiated; allicin is very unstable and immediately breaks down.