Research
Allimune contains Allicin, the active ingredient in Garlic.
Summary of Garlic Research - Cardiovascular-Related Outcomes:
Thirty-seven randomized trials, all but one in adults, consistently showed that compared with placebo, various garlic preparationsled to
small, statistically significant reductions in total cholesterol at 1 month (range of average pooled reductions 1.2 to 17.3 milligrams per
deciliter [mg/dL]) and 3 months (range of average pooled reductions 12.4 to 25.4 mg/dL). Garlic preparations that were studied included
standardized dehydrated tablets (Kwai®, Pure-Gar®, or noncommercial enteric-coated tablets], dehydrated tablets), "aged garlic extract™,"
oil macerates, distillates, raw garlic, and combination tablets. Eight placebo-controlled trials reported total cholesterol outcomes at 6 months;
pooled analyses showed no significant reductions of total cholesterol with garlic compared with placebo. It is not clear if statistically
significant positive short-term effects—but negative longer term effects—are due to: systematic differences in studies that have longer or
shorter followup durations; fewer longer term studies; or time-dependent effects of garlic. Statistically significant reductions in low-density
lipoprotein levels (LDL) (range 0 to 13.5 mg/dL) and in triglycerides (range 7.6 to 34.0 mg/dL) also were found in pooled analyses at 3 months.
No significant changes in high-density lipoprotein levels (HDL) were seen in pooled analyses at 1 and 3 months.
One multicenter trial involving 98 adults with hyperlipidemia found no differences in lipid outcomes at 3 months between persons who were given
an antilipidemic agent and persons who were given a standardized dehydrated garlic preparation. Interpreting the lipid results is best tempered
by recognizing that trials often had unclear randomization processes, short durations, and no intention-to-treat analyses.
Twenty-seven small, randomized, placebo-controlled trials, all but one in adults and of short duration, reported mixed but never large effects of
various garlic preparations on blood pressure outcomes. Most studies did not find significant differences between persons randomized to garlic
compared with those randomized to placebo. The one small trial (n=40) that directly compared a standardized dehydrated garlic preparation with an
active antihypertensive agent found no differences in blood pressure between groups. Because of unclear randomization processes, lack of
intention-to-treat analyses, missing data, and variability in blood pressure measurement techniques, no firm conclusions can be drawn from these trials.
Twelve small, randomized trials, all in adults, suggested that various garlic preparations had no clinically significant effect on glucose in persons
with or without diabetes. Two small short trials, both in adults, reported no statistically significant effects of garlic compared with placebo on
serum insulin or C peptide levels.
Ten small, randomized trials, all but one in adults and of short duration, showed promising effects of various garlic preparations on platelet
aggregation and mixed effects on plasma viscosity and fibrinolytic activity. Because the trials had only 409 participants, short followup periods,
unclear randomization processes, no intention-to-treat analyses, missing data, and variability in techniques used to assess outcomes, no firm conclusions
can be drawn.
There were insufficient data to confirm or refute effects of garlic on clinical outcomes such as myocardial infarction and claudication. One 3-year
randomized trial with 492 participants found no statistically significant decreases in numbers of myocardial infarctions and deaths when placebo was
compared with 6 to 10 grams of garlic ether extract. This trial was not published in peer-reviewed literature; details confirming its randomization
process and followup were not obtained, despite requests to the author.
Two double-blind trials in participants with atherosclerotic lower extremity disease evaluated whether garlic increased pain-free walking distance at
12 to 16 weeks compared with placebo. In one trial, 64 of 80 (80 percent) participants completed followup. Pain-free walking increased by approximately
40 meters with standardized dehydrated garlic (Kwai®) compared with approximately 30 meters with placebo. In the other trial, with 100 participants,
the maximum walking distance increased significantly (114 percent) among persons randomized to a combination treatment of garlic oil macerate/soya
lecithin/hawthorn oil/wheat germ oil compared with those randomized to placebo (17 percent) (p < 0.05).CTs did not establish whether garlic
effectiveness varies across preparations or dosages. Limited data not derived from head-to-head comparisons, suggest, but do not prove, that standardized dehydrated preparations may result in greater short-term (1- to 3-month) drops in total cholesterol than other preparations.
Availability of Full Report
The full evidence report from which this summary was derived was prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality by the San Antonio
Evidence-based Practice Center based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the Veterans Evidence-based Research,
Dissemination, and Implementation Center (VERDICT), a Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence under
contract No. 290-97-0012. Printed copies may be obtained free of charge from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse by calling 800-358-9295.
Requesters should ask for Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Number 20, Garlic: Effects on Cardiovascular Risks and Disease, Protective
Effects Against Cancer, and Clinical Adverse Effects (AHRQ Publication No. 01-E023).
The Evidence Report is also online on the National Library of Medicine Bookshelf.
AHRQ Publication Number 01-E022, Current as of October 2000
Vet Hum Toxicol 1999 Oct: 41(5): 316-9
Antioxidant role of oils isolated from garlic (Allium sativum Linn) and onion (Allium cepa Linn) on nicotine-induced lipid peroxidation.
Helen A, Rajasree CR, Krishnakumar K, Augusti KT, Vijayammal PL.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, India.
Nicotine, a major component of tobacco, is partly responsible for the development of atherosclerosis. It has been suggested that antioxidant
nutrients are protective against degenerative diseases. So we have studied the antioxidant effect of oils isolated from onion and garlic on
nicotine-induced lipid peroxidation in rat tissues. The lipid peroxidation products and scavenging enzymes were assessed in liver, lungs,
heart and kidney. The rats were treated with 0.6 mg nicotine/kg bw and simultaneously given 100 mg garlic or onion oils/kg bw for 21 d.
Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, conjugated dienes and hydroperoxides concentrations were significantly increased in the tissues of
nicotine-treated rats. Both the garlic oil and onion oil supplementation to nicotine-treated rats increased resistance to lipid peroxidation.
The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase decreased in nicotine-treated rats, but there was a trend to increased
glutathione content. With garlic oil or onion oil supplementation, nicotine-treated rats had increased activities of antioxidant enzymes and
increased concentrations of glutathione. These results indicate that oils of garlic and onion are effective antioxidants against the oxidative
damage caused by nicotine.
PMID: 10509436 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
JAC Advance Access originally published online on March 24, 2004
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2004) 53, 832-836
© 2004 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Efficacy of allicin, the reactive molecule of garlic, in inhibiting Aspergillus spp. in vitro, and in a murine model of disseminated aspergillosis
Yona Shadkchan1, Einav Shemesh1, David Mirelman2, Talia Miron2, Aharon Rabinkov2, Meir Wilchek2 and Nir Osherov1,* 1 Sackler School of Medicine,
Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; 2 Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science,
Rehovot, Israel
Received 30 December 2003; returned 24 January 2004; revised 4 February 2004; accepted 8 February 2004
Objectives: The evaluation of allicin, the biologically active compound responsible for the antimicrobial activities of freshly crushed garlic cloves,
in inhibiting Aspergillus spp. in vitro and in a murine model of disseminated aspergillosis.
Methods: Pure allicin was prepared by reacting synthetic alliin with a stabilized preparation of the garlic enzyme alliinase. We tested the in vitro
efficacy of pure allicin against 31 clinical isolates of Aspergillus spp. using a microdilution broth method and following the NCCLS guidelines
(document M-38P). Subsequently, the in vivo efficacy of allicin was tested in immunocompetent mice infected intravenously (iv) with Aspergillus
fumigatus conidia. Allicin (5 mg/kg body weight) was administered iv once daily for 5 days post-infection or orally (po) (9 mg/kg body weight) for
5 days pre-infection and 10 days post-infection. No ill effects were observed in allicin-treated uninfected mice.
Results: The in vitro MICs and MFCs of allicin were between 8 and 32 mg/L, indicating that allicin in its pure form may be an effective fungicide in
vitro. Time–kill studies indicate that allicin exerts its fungicidal activity within 2–12 h of administration in vitro. Allicin treatment
significantly prolonged survival of infected mice (P < 0.01) from mean survival time (MST) = 7.7 days in untreated mice to MST = 21.3 and 13.9 days
for allicin iv and po treated mice, respectively. Allicin iv treatment led to a significant (P < 0.001) 10-fold reduction in fungal burden in
A. fumigatus infected mice as evaluated by quantitative fungal cultures of kidney tissue samples.
Conclusions: These favourable results, despite the short half-life of this compound in vivo, support further studies of controlled sustained release
or more prolonged administration of allicin as a treatment for aspergillosis.
