Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”
Those are famous words from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the father of Western medicine.
He prescribed garlic to treat various medical conditions — and modern science has confirmed many of these beneficial health effects.
Here are 11 health benefits of garlic that are supported by human research.
1. Garlic contains compounds with potent medicinal properties
Garlic is a plant in the Allium (onion) family. It’s closely related to onions, shallots, and leeks.
Each segment of a garlic bulb is called a clove. There are about 10–20 cloves in a single bulb, give or take.
Garlic grows in many parts of the world and is a popular ingredient in cooking due to its strong smell and delicious taste.
However, throughout ancient history, people widely used garlic for its health and medicinal properties. There is documented evidence of its use by many major civilizations, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Indians.
Scientists now know that most of garlic’s health benefits are due to the formation of sulfur compounds when you chop, crush, or chew a garlic clove.
Perhaps the most well-known compound is allicin. However, allicin is an unstable compound that is only briefly present in fresh garlic after you cut or crush it.
Other compounds that may play a role in garlic’s health benefits include diallyl disulfide and s-allyl cysteine.
The sulfur compounds from garlic enter your body from the digestive tract. They then travel all over your body, exerting strong biological effects.
