Benefits of Allicin
Allicin is a colorless liquid that is derived from garlic. It has a pungent smell and it exhibits both anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. Actually garlic uses allicin as its defense mechanism when attacked by pests. As a health supplement, allicin provides various benefits that range from cancer prevention to immune enhancement.
1. Blood thinning effects
Allicin has powerful antiplatelet effects and it thus inhibits the body’s capability of clotting. This effect is useful for persons with an enhanced risk of either stroke or heart attack. Allicin portrays considerable greater platelet inhibitor properties than aspirins, drugs commonly prescribed for their blood thinning effects.
2. Antibacterial properties
The antibacterial properties of allicin guard against a great range of injurious bacteria. Allicin also shows great promise against some drug resistant forms of E. coli, which causes life-threating instances like food poisoning. Other studies have shown that allicin consumption might kill the bacteria responsible for causing intestinal and stomach ulcers.
3. Cancer prevention
Since allicin helped to stop the development of specific cancerous cells in lab studies, scientists further examined whether the pure form of allicin has the same effect. They discovered that allicin repressed development of endometrial, colon and breast cancer cells.
4. Antifungal effects
Allicin possesses antifungal effects and is mainly effective in combating cases of oral thrush and yeast infections. Allicin also portrays strong anti-parasitic properties. It was effective in fighting certain intestinal parasites that are responsible for causing severe diarrhea. Moreover, topical use of allicin extract can effectively cure fungal skin ailments.
5. Lower cholesterol
Another allicin benefit is that it brings down and normalizes blood lipids, which includes triglycerides and cholesterol. In reality, allicin seems to have the same effects on cholesterol like statin drugs that are usually recommended for lowering high cholesterol.
Nonetheless, certain people are allergic to allicin. Some indications of this allergy include headache, fever and skin rashes.
