Is it true that garlic protects against colds and influenza?

It is believed that in the season of colds, you need to eat more garlic or even lay out its slices in the rooms to protect against infections. We decided to figure out what science says about this folk remedy.

Information that garlic Helps From a cold, you can find V Media, on sites pharmacies And online stores, on culinary Portals With recipes. Write about it on resources O gardeningdiscussing women's forums. Recommends this method of prevention administration St. Petersburg. 

Garlic is one of the first plants that a person began apply in the treatment of various diseases. The documented evidence of its use in medicine is found in various cultures - from ancient Egypt and Greece to China and India. Hippocrates prescribed garlic in various diseases. But what does modern science say about its effectiveness?

Garlic contains Allin And Alinazywhich, when mixed, are converted into Allicine, a substance with strong antimicrobial and antifungal effect. This substance is also Improves The functioning of the immune system, helping the body to fight various diseases, including colds. Since allin and Alinaza are contained in different parts of the garlic onion, for the production of allicine garlic must be cut or chopped in another way.

Specialists of the American Society of Microbiologists They saythat allicine is effective against most types of bacteria, fungi and even viruses. He can also slow down the growth of some parasites.

In 2016, scientists of the University of Florida conducted experiment. 120 healthy participants were divided into two groups: one was given an extract of aged garlic, the other was a placebo. The study lasted 90 days during the season of colds and influenza. Despite the fact that the number of cases in both groups did not vary much, those who took garlic extract, carried the disease easier and recovered faster than the participants who gave placebo.

During the earlier experiment 2001 146 volunteers for 12 weeks from November to February received allicin -containing additives (or placebo). As a result, members of the Group who received allicin, more often than those who received placebo, were sick, and from the moment the disease arose to recovery, they passed much less time.

Systematic review Existing studies conducted by scientists from several countries of the world confirmed the hypothesis of the preventive properties of garlic against colds by increasing the immune response.

At the same time, it has meaningIn what form you use garlic. Only 60 seconds. In the microwave (or 45 minutes in the oven), the beneficial properties of this product are reduced to zero, or rather, they simply do not allow the active substances to stand out. To avoid this, experts advise letting the garlic stand in a chopped form for about 10 minutes before cooking. Scientists for now failed It is precisely to establish how fastences containing garlic and other products with this plant are effective compared to fresh garlic. 

Nevertheless, not all researchers agree that garlic and its derivatives are so effective in the fight against colds and influenza. A group of Australian scientists, summarizing the data of previous scientific papers on this topic, came to conclusionThe fact that certain grounds are considered garlic with an effective means of preventing and treating colds, however, to say for sure, additional, more extensive and reliable studies are needed. The same concerns And the effectiveness of garlic against influenza.

National Institute of Health of the United States claimsthat today the evidence that garlic really prevents or facilitates the flow of colds or influenza is not enough.

It is worth noting that in all studies that somehow confirmed the effectiveness of garlic for the prevention and treatment of colds, garlic or its derivatives were taken inside. We were not able to find studies that would confirm that garlic can have any effect on inhalations. 

Thus, scientists have not yet come to a consensus on the effectiveness of garlic against colds and influenza. Some experts claim that he can protect against illness or alleviate its course, others - that this evidence of this is too little or they are of low quality. Since there are still some evidence of its effectiveness, it will probably not be superfluous to include it in your diet in the season of respiratory infections. But for this you need to have a healthy stomach and intestines. If they are out of order, garlic can do harm.

This is not for sure

What do our verdicts mean?

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