Scientific name: Allium sativum Common names: garlic, elephant garlic, purple garlic Family name: Amaryllidaceae Part(s) of the plant used: fresh or dried bulb Native region and environment: A perennial plant of the Amaryllis family, grown for its flavorful bulbs. Garlic is native to central Asia, but also grows wild in Italy and southern France. It is a classic ingredient in many national cuisines of the region.
This garlic monograph provides basic information about garlic—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources for more information. Browse more herbal monographs.
Garlic has been frequently used in remedies in China since 2700 BC. TCM healers place garlic in the Yang category, for its heating and stimulating effects. Garlic was also used in ancient China to treat depression. In Ayurveda, garlic is a valuable remedy used as a tonic to cure a lack of appetite, common weakness, cough, skin disease, rheumatism, and hemorrhoids. Garlic was brought to the Americas by European settlers in the colonial period. During the influenza pandemic of 1917-1918, some Americans believed so strongly in this herb they wore a necklace of garlic when going out in public.
Garlic constituents & diabetes
The potential health benefits of garlic to support a body with T2DM and metabolic syndrome is enormous. Garlic contains a variety of constituents including organosulfur compounds, saponins, phenols, and polysaccharides. At more than 20 phenolic compounds (including: β-resorcylic acid, gallic acid, rutin, and quercetin) garlic has more phytochemicals than many common vegetables! Garlic has been shown to improve both glucose homeostasis and lower high cholesterol, commonly associated with T2DM. The active phytochemicals of garlic that have been attributed to these beneficial effects are mainly volatile sulfur compounds like alliin and allicin. Garlic has also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. A clinical trial studying the effect of orally administered raw garlic on T2DM patients demonstrated a significant reduction in blood glucose level, lipid metabolism and significant improvement in antioxidant enzymes in diabetic patients.[1] Several studies have also reported increased insulin secretion upon administration of garlic or garlic extracts/preparations.[2] Researchers have speculated that the higher insulin production is a result of the actions of another constituent, allixin.[3] The total amount of saponins in purple garlic is almost 40 times higher than that in white garlic, which could indicate that purple varieties are better for antidiabetic results. Studies also indicate that raw garlic has strong antioxidant properties and has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties which are so supportive to people with T2DM.
Garlic Safety
With a safety rating of 1 and interaction class C, garlic is generally a safe herb to take, but has been shown to have some herb-drug interactions. Garlic, especially fresh garlic, is safe to include in your daily meals. It is suitable for long-term use, but may need to be temporarily stopped before a major surgery.
Potential Drug Interactions
Persons taking heparin, clopidogrel, or aspirin, and doses equivalent to two or more grams daily of fresh garlic should be monitored for abnormal bleeding.
Garlic preparation & dosing
Garlic is readily available in fresh heads at grocery stores. If you are interested in working with a tincture or capsule format, I would recommend you buy this product from a specialty store, like Mountain Rose Herbs.
Daily Dosage Table: Garlic[4]
Format
Dosage
Preparation
Fresh
2 cloves
Fresh, minced cloves
Tincture
1.5-6 mL
1:1 liquid extract
Capsule
500-1000mg
Take with water
Garlic References
[1] Mirunalini, S., Krishnaveni, M., Ambily, V., and Professor, A. (2011). Effects of raw garlic (Allium Sativum) on hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Pharmacology Online 2, 968–974. [2] Eidi, A., Eidi, M., and Esmaeili, E. (2006). Antidiabetic effect of garlic (Allium sativum L.) in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Phytomedicine 13, 624–629. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2005.09.010 [3] Islam, M. S., and Choi, H. (2008). Comparative effects of dietary ginger (Zingiber officinale) and garlic (Allium sativum) investigated in a type 2 diabetes model of rats. J. Med. Food 11, 152–159. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2007.634 [4] Braun & Cohen (2015) Herbs & Natural Supplements Vol 2. , Elsevier, Sydney Australia
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Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2018 Apr 5]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
To conduct an ethnobotanical survey and document the traditional anticancer and antidiabetic plants used by the local tribes of Mizoram, Northeast India.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with the progression of cognitive dysfunction. Physical activity benefits cognition, but no evidence from randomized clinical trials has shown whether tai chi chuan has better long-term benefits than fitness walking in cognitive function for patients with T2D and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for >90% of the cases of diabetes in adults. Resistance to insulin action is the major cause that leads to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. T2DM is the consequence of activation of multiple pathways and factors involved in insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. Also, the etiology of T2DM involves the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors. This interplay can be governed efficiently by lifestyle modifications to achieve better management of diabetes. The present review aims at discussing the major factors involved in the development of T2DM that remain unfocussed during the anti-diabetic therapy. The review also focuses on lifestyle modifications that are warranted for the successful management of T2DM. In addition, it attempts to explain flaws in current strategies to combat diabetes. The employability of phytoconstituents as multitargeting molecules and their potential use as effective therapeutic adjuvants to first line hypoglycemic agents to prevent side effects caused by the synthetic drugs are also discussed.
Obesity and diabetes are closely related metabolic disorders that have become major public health concerns worldwide. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of these disorders and identified various risk factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly recognized for its potential to manage obesity and diabetes. Weight loss is difficult to sustain, and several diabetic therapies, such as sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and insulin, might make it harder to lose weight. While lifestyle changes should be the primary approach for people interested in lowering weight, drugs are also worth investigating. Since some of the newer glucose-lowering medications that cause weight loss, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), are additionally utilized or are under consideration for use as anti-obesity drugs, the frontier between glucose-lowering medication and weight loss drugs appears to be shifting. This review provides an overview of the literature on the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the prospect of TCM in their management. We discuss the various TCM interventions, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy, and their effects on metabolic health. We also highlight the potential of TCM in regulating gut microbiota, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity. The findings suggest that TCM may provide a promising approach to preventing and managing obesity and diabetes. However, further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of TCM interventions and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms of action.
Plant-derived phytochemicals have been interested in as nutraceuticals for preventing the onset and progress of diabetes mellitus and its serious complications in recent years. Lam. is used in vegetables and in herbal medicine for its health-promoting properties against various diseases including diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to examine an effect of on diabetic hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia by meta-analyzing the current evidence of diabetic rodent models. Peer-reviewed studies written in English from two databases, PubMed and Embase, were searched to 30 April 2021. Studies reporting blood glucose or lipid levels in diabetic rodents with and without receiving extracts of were included. Forty-four studies enrolling 349 diabetic rodents treated with extracts of and 350 diabetic controls reported blood glucose levels. The pooled effect size was -3.92 (95% CI: -4.65 to -3.19) with a substantial heterogeneity. This effect was likely to be, at least in part, modified by the type of diabetic models. Moreover, diabetic hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia were also significantly improved in diabetic rodent models treated with .
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PubMed Articles About
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2018 Apr 5]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
