Protection against Helicobacter pylori and Other Bacterial Infections by Garlic

Abstract

Louis Pasteur was the first to describe the antibacterial effect of onion and garlic juices. Historically, garlic has been used worldwide to fight bacterial infections. Allium vegetables, particularly garlic (Allium sativum L.) exhibit a broad antibiotic spectrum against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Noteworthy results published include the following: 1) raw juice of garlic was found to be effective against many common pathogenic bacteria-intestinal bacteria, which are responsible for diarrhea in humans and animals; 2) garlic is effective even against those strains that have become resistant to antibiotics; 3) the combination of garlic with antibiotics leads to partial or total synergism; 4) complete lack of resistance has been observed repeatedly; 5) even toxin production by microorganisms is prevented by garlic. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium implicated in the etiology of stomach cancer and ulcers. The incidence of stomach cancer is lower in populations with a high intake of allium vegetables. We have demonstrated in vitro that H. pylori is susceptible to garlic extract at a fairly moderate concentration. Even some antibiotic-resistant H. pylori strains are susceptible to garlic. Clinical trials are necessary to explore the possibility of using garlic as a low-cost remedy for eradicating H. pylori.

The role of herbs and spices in cancer prevention

“…For instance, garlic did not show much inhibitory activity in Liu and Nakano's study (41) despite extensive literature indicating otherwise (40,42). Liu and Nakano postulated that these differences may have been related to use of dried garlic powder in their study compared to other studies which relied on other forms of garlic (41).…”

Effect ofLeuconostoc mesenteroidesKCCM35046 fermented aged garlic extract on egg production, egg quality, odour gas emissions, targetedE. colicolony, haematological characteristics and fatty acids composition of egg yolk in laying hens

“…Historically, garlic has been used worldwide to fight bacterial infections. It is well documented that garlic preparation exhibit a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity against gram-negative and grampositive bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus and Clostridium (Ankri & Mirelman 1999;Sivam 2001). El-Astal (2004) also reported the high antibacterial efficacy of garlic extract on certain pathogenic grampositive bacteria (Staph.…”

“…Investigations have shown that garlic plays an important pharmacological role as an antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal agent as well as a remedy for intestinal disorders, flatulence, worms, respiratory infections, skin diseases, wounds, symptoms of ageing and many other ailments (Amagase et al 2001). Moreover, garlic has several beneficial effects for either human or animals having antioxidant, antihypertensive properties (Sivam 2001) as well as prevents heart disease and cancer and diabetes (Konjufca et al 1997;Amagase et al 2001). It has also been reported that fresh dietary garlic can help to improve the immune stimulatory effect during Newcastle disease, avian influenza and bursal disease challenge in birds (Jafari et al 2010).…”

Effects of Dietary Garlic (Allium sativum Linn.) Supplementation on Body Weight and Gut Morphometry of Commercial Broilers

“…It has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-hypertensive properties (Konjufca et al, 1997;Sivam, 2001). As a natural feed additive, garlic has been reported to improve broiler growth, feed conversion ratio and decreased mortality (Jagdish & Pandey, 1994;Tollba & Hassan, 2003).…”