Medical Uses of Garlic Extracts

Garlic, is a species of the onion genus Allium. It is a close relative to onion with a history of human use of over 7000 years ago. Garlic was known to Ancient Egyptians and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It was fed particularly to the working class involved in heavy labor, as in the building of the pyramids, presumably to maintain and increase their strength, thereby enabling them to work harder and be more productive. Not only garlic was used by ancient Egyptians but also was widely used by ancient Chinese by or before 2000 BC. In ancient Indian holy book – garlic was mentioned among other medicinal plants used. Garlic possesses several pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activities. Also, garlic and its components have potent anti-parasitic activities against many human and animal parasites. The emergence of drug resistance and the societal pressure against the use of antibiotics is driving medical research towards the use of unconventional strategies. Therefore, plant oils and extracts such as garlic extracts can be used as alternatives or adjunct to the current anti-microbial drugs.