I heard some people say that garlic can reduce allergy
reactions. Is there any proves of this.
RATTAN at kemi.aau.dk wrote:
: Folk stories abound with claims that garlic has some anti-ageing
: effects. Some research has shown that it has some anti-cancer and
: anti-platelet aggregation effects. No anti-ageing effects of garlic have
: been studied or published in the scientific literature. Although lots of
: garlic products are being sold in the market for the treatment of everything
: including ageing. But here is the first published research paper, of course,
: by our group!!!
: Svendsen, Rattan & Clark (1994) Testing garlic for its anti-ageing effects
: on human fibroblasts in culture. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol 43,
: pp 125-133 (June-July issue).
: Our results show that:
: 1. human cells grown in various concentrations of aquous garlic extract
: maintain some of the youthful characteristics for a longer duration.
: 2. Same concentrations are generally toxic for cancer cells of various
: types, and these cells cannot be grown in the presence of garlic for more
: than a few days as compared with 300-400 days for normal diploid fibroblasts.
: 3. At some concentrations there can be a slight increase in the proliferative
: lifespan of normal cells.
: 4. Unlike kinetin (reported previously) the effects of garl>ic are more
: subtle and appear to be best as a general maintenance compound.
: Of course, these are the studies performed on cells in culture and these
: results may or may not be extrapolatable directly. Yet we think that the way
: garlic consumption as a regular component of food may work by maintaining
: the general health of the normal cells while stopping the uncontrolled
: growth of any newly developing cancerous or immortal cell. Garlic may not
: prevent ageing, but it may help to reduce cancer formation and perhaps
: prevent the onset of other age-related pathologies and impairments.
: Anyway, we have now some "reductionistic scientific" bases to say that
: garlic can keep some "devils" of age-related diseases at bay!!!
: Mechanisms of garlic action as anti-ageing still need to be studied.
: It may involve any cytokinin activity too, who knows.
: Keep smelling, you will live healthier and a little bit longer....
: Suresh Rattan/Aarhus/Denmark
