I have heard that DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is supposed to be good for memory and brain function, and that garlic/garlic pills help reduce blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
Can anyone tell me whether or not this is true? What’s the skinny? Thanks.
Garlic pills are a tricky subject. Basically, old garlic pills showed good results in clinical trials. Newer studies, not so much. Within the industry, there’s a dirty little secret: the binder was changed. Not the garlic itself, but the stuff used to make the pill stick together. For garlic to be effective as a cardiac herb, it needs to be digested in the stomach (two chemicals in the clove combine to form a third, useful, chemical in the high acid environment of the stomach.) The old pills’ binder broke apart in the stomach, releasing the garlic in the useful place, and good results were found.
As of three years ago, the new binder being used was breaking apart in the small intestine, not in the stomach. Because the small intestine is not an acidic environment, the two garlic chemicals were not combining to produce the active chemical, and the whole thing was a bust.
I don’t know if anyone is using the old binder anymore. If you want to be sure of getting your cardiac effects, take a couple of cloves of garlic, smash them with the side of a big blade on a cutting board (this begins the mixing of the two chemicals). Wait 5 minutes for the chemical cocktail to begin, then swallow the cloves raw. (Cooking destroys the cardiac benefits, although cooked garlic is still usefull for fighting colds.)
Information in this post comes from a lecture presented at The American Herbalists’ Guild conference in 2003. This post is for informational purposes only, and does not purport to diagnose or treat any disease. Check with your doctor before taking any supplements. Void where prohibited. No deposit, no return.
Thanks, WhyNot. That was very helpful. Any news on DHA?