The chemical breakdown of the Stinkin Rose provides some real insight into its many medicinal talents. It is a mineral and a vitamin rich food, but its especially high concentration of sulfur compounds (allylsulphides) that truly set it apart. According to analysis by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, a single clove of garlic contains:
Alliin, allinase and allicin by name are the big three for you to remember. These are sulfur compounds. They have drawn the attention of serious scientists since the illustrious Louis Pasteur pointed to the antiseptic properties of garlic in 1858.
In the 1940s, Dr. A Stoll, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, discovered alliin, which he showed to be the "parent" compound of the germ-fighting process. It must be broken down before garlic gives off its odor and before its antibiotic properties are released. The enzyme allinase, also present in garlic starts the chain reaction. All it takes is cutting or crushing the garlic clove and two combine to produce allicin. Even though antibiotics are a bit stronger than what garlic provides, U.S. researchers have noted that garlic is more effective against certain germs called gram negative organisms than conventional medications.
Garlic is also loaded with selenium, an important trace element that is said to protect against cancer and atherosclerosis and normalizes blood pressure. It is also an antioxidant, a chemical that neutralizes harsh compounds called free radicals, which accelerate the aging process. So this may account for the antiaging power of garlic that some people claim. Germanium is a relatively recent discovery, like selenium it is also a trace element, and thought to offer significant health benefits because it stimulates oxygen circulation throughout the body. Wouldn't you know it garlic contains this trace element also.
