Study Highlights Antibiotic Properties Of Garlic
July 17, 2019
source: Serious Eats
You may already know that garlic is full of many antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. But did you know that in some instances, garlic can be much more effective than popular over-the-counter antibiotics? A study performed by researchers at Washington State University has proven that garlic can be 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting disease-causing bacteria responsible for food-borne illnesses.
The study concluded that garlic concentrate was extremely effective in stopping the growth of the C. jejuni bacteria. “This work is very exciting to me because it shows that this compound has the potential to reduce disease-causing bacteria in the environment and in our food supply,” explained Xiaonan Lu, lead researcher and author of the study.
“Campylobacter is simply the most common bacterial cause of food-borne illness in the United States and probably the world,” stated Michael Konkel, a C. jejuni researcher for over 25 years. In addition to causing diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever, this bacteria can also trigger a rare paralyzing disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Crushing garlic produces diallyl sulfide, which has been shown to kill these harmful bacteria cells. Researchers involved in the study found that the diallyl sulfide was as effective as 100 times as much of the antibiotics erythromycin and ciprofloxacin, and regularly worked in a fraction of the time. The moral of the story? Eat more garlic!