Rich in antioxidant phytochemicals, garlic offers broad-spectrum protection against atherosclerosis and the heart attacks, strokes, and other vascular incidents that usually result from it.

Garlic blocks the cellular damage inflicted by air pollutants, pesticides, and other toxins. Much of the credit goes to those antioxidant phytochemicals, which neutralize free radicals generated by the toxins.

Garlic contains two important amino acids, cysteine and arginine. The sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine latches onto toxins like cadmium, lead, and mercury and ushers them out of the body. Arginine stimulates the release of growth hormone, strengthens the immune system, and helps remove ammonia--a toxic by-product of protein metabolism.

Preventing and Reversing Heart and Cardiovascular Disease

Amazingly, garlic exerts a positive influence on all of the major risk factors associated with atherosclerosis. It:

• lowers total cholesterol
• lowers “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
• lowers triglycerides (another type of blood fat)
• raises “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
• discourages platelets (the blood cells that support coagulation) from becoming sticky.
• inhibits clot formation by increasing fibrinolytic activity
• lowers high blood pressure

Potent Cancer Protection

Garlic reduces cancer risk (especially those of the breast, colon, rectum, bladder, skin, and esophagus) by:

• blocking the action of carcinogens within the body
• inhibiting the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells
• preventing already formed cancer cells from replicating
• stimulating natural killer cells, immune cells that attack and destroy cancer cells

In addition, garlic contains an abundant array of antioxidant phytochemicals. These compounds neutralize free radicals before they have an opportunity to inflict damage on cells and, in particular, on the DNA housed in a cell’s nucleus. Damaged DNA can lead to genetic mutation and uncontrolled cell division—the precursors to cancer.

Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic and Immune Booster

Oft referred to as Russian penicillin (because the Russian people use it as an antibiotic to treat infections of all sorts) garlic also fends off all kinds of disease-causing microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites.

Besides killing “bad bugs,” garlic increases the body’s natural resistance to infection by reinforcing the immune system.