# Is Garlic Toxic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893 "2009-09-28T20:19:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/41 "2009-09-30T14:02:36Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > (I’ve never seen garlic used as a vegetable, only sparingly as a spice.) There are recipes for garlic soup made using heads of garlic (not just cloves). IIRC, the active ingredient in garlic forms only in the presence of oxygen and cooking destroys the precursor. So the characteristic flavor develops only if you chop it or crush it, but if you cook whole heads it remains rather mild. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/42 "2009-09-30T14:09:14Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > “The Ghosts of Evolution” by Connie Barlow implied in a section that in order to preserve the reproductive parts\* of the plant (seeds, in that book’s case), plants have evolved toxins to deter their consumption. Animals (and humans) in turn have evolved strong reactions to the (usually alkaline) toxins, which usually taste very strongly bitter, so they won’t want to eat them. Cyanide in apple seeds is one example of this phenomenon. > > A bulb of garlic will sprout shoots in the right conditions and sort of counts as a reproductive organ… is our strong taste reaction to garlic an evolutionary warning system that we shouldn’t be eating it because it is toxic? (I’ve never seen garlic used as a vegetable, only sparingly as a spice.) > > - Not just reproductive parts, but also vital parts like leaves which, unlike fruits, are not meant to be eaten. And the book goes on to talk about the roles of clay (kaolin) and cooking in neutralizing the toxins. It’s a good scientific read though it’s a bit dry at points. I don’t think the taste of garlic is any sort of effective warning to not eat it. It’s precisely because of the taste of garlic that my 2-person household blows through bulbs of the stuff. [40-Clove Chicken](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/40-cloves-and-a-chicken-recipe/index.html), anyone? Also, yes, it can be used as a vegetable. I roast whole bulbs all the time - gets all soft and buttery and mild, makes a great spread for crackers or toasty bread. Wait, wait … leaves are “not meant to be eaten?” 😕 Wha … ? Not meant by _whom_? Try telling that to all the leaf-eating herbivores in the world. (Bad goats, shame on you!) Not to mention, the lettuce in my sammich. Turning things back to the OP … in the interest of science, the Other Shoe and I will attend the State Fair of Texas soon, and I will report back on the worst food for you, since I’m pretty sure it’s either [deep-fried butter](http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/03/deep-fried-butter-to-hit-texas-state-fair/)or [chicken-fried bacon](http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/stories/090208dnmetfriedfoods.33839923.html). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/43 "2009-09-30T14:21:30Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Garlic and onions are quite toxic- if you are a cat or dog. Never feed anything containing either to your pet cat or dog. Just as a follow-up on **Miller** ’s post, I thought I should point out that some respected cat food companies ( I’m thinking specifically of Old Mother Hubbard’s “Wellness” brand ) use or used garlic in their listed ingredients. This _has_ caused the occasional stir of concern among the online pet communities, but OHM’s replies have basically been that it is in trace amounts for flavor and is nowhere near enough to ever trigger a toxic response ( also garlic generally, while a relative of onions, apparently has rather less toxic potential for cats relative to actual onions ). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/44 "2009-09-30T14:55:13Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > A little Googling turned up references to the LD50 of garlic oil at around 1000mg/kg in rodent studies - for an 80kg man that works out to 80 grams of garlic oil. I don’t know how much garlic oil you get from a given weight of fresh garlic but if it was, say, 10%, that’d mean you’d have to eat 800 grams of raw garlic, I think that would make anyone sick long before they could give themselves Acute Garlic Poisoning. There also seems to be an issue of garlic-in-oil. It seems that garlic-in-oil that is not stored at the correct temp or use fast enough can cause botulism. From what I understand, botulism isn’t as fun as it sounds. Here is a link from [Health Canada](http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/garlic-ail-eng.php). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/45 "2009-09-30T16:16:40Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > “The Ghosts of Evolution” by Connie Barlow implied in a section that in order to preserve the reproductive parts\* of the plant (seeds, in that book’s case), plants have evolved toxins to deter their consumption. Animals (and humans) in turn have evolved strong reactions to the (usually alkaline) toxins, which usually taste very strongly bitter, so they won’t want to eat them. Cyanide in apple seeds is one example of this phenomenon. It should be borne in mind that the main herbivores of most plants are insects, and toxins are designed to deter them rather than mammals. Of course, small doses of chemicals may have highly toxic effects on small animals, while much larger animals will just shrug them off. (However, often some specialized herbivores will evolve defenses against the toxins and thus be able to eat the plant.) These compounds may also act as bacteriacides or fungicides, which is the basis for many of them being used in traditional medicines, or more recently used in the development of pesticides and pharmeceuticals. > [@](#): > > A bulb of garlic will sprout shoots in the right conditions and sort of counts as a reproductive organ… is our strong taste reaction to garlic an evolutionary warning system that we shouldn’t be eating it because it is toxic? (I’ve never seen garlic used as a vegetable, only sparingly as a spice.) > > - Not just reproductive parts, but also vital parts like leaves which, unlike fruits, are not meant to be eaten. And the book goes on to talk about the roles of clay (kaolin) and cooking in neutralizing the toxins. It’s a good scientific read though it’s a bit dry at points. The garlic bulb represents a storage organ for food for the plant, which it will use to produce flowers and seeds, replace leaves that have been eaten, and survive through the winter or other environmental stresses. It is vital to the plant, which is the reason why many bulbs are protected by toxic chemicals. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I don’t think the taste of garlic is any sort of effective warning to not eat it. It’s precisely because of the taste of garlic that my 2-person household blows through bulbs of the stuff. [40-Clove Chicken](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/40-cloves-and-a-chicken-recipe/index.html), anyone? It may well be an effective warning for the herbivores that it is designed to defend against. Most of the spices and flavorings we use in cooking are actually produced by the plant by insecticides or as defenses against other herbivores; they stimulate our taste buds without having seriously detrimental effects on us because the dosage is too small. > [@](#): > > Wait, wait … leaves are “not meant to be eaten?” 😕 Wha … ? Not meant by _whom_? > Try telling that to all the leaf-eating herbivores in the world. (Bad goats, shame on you!) Not to mention, the lettuce in my sammich. Of course, the statement that leaves are not meant ot be eaten is from the viewpoint of the plant. Obviously losing leaves generally is detrimental. Fruits, on the other hand, are produced by the plant in order to attract animals that will disperse the seeds, so they are “meant to be eaten.” Herbivores that eat leaves are exploiting the plant for food without providing any benefit. I presume you are talking about iceberg lettuce, which has been bred to be free of any bitter toxins. Many varieties of lettuce, including wild ones, are quite bitter as a defense against herbivores. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/46 "2009-09-30T16:35:51Z")
Wow, looking at this site’s [home page](http://www.relfe.com/) I’m convinced it’s ran by paranoid schizophrenic conspiracy theorists. There’s a page on why vaccinations are evil, why caffeine is one of the “main causes of every health problem”, “electromagnetic stress,” feng shui tips, and a whole b unch of other utter nonsense. It’s sites like this that end up setting society back because of stupid, gullible people believing this stuff. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/47 "2009-09-30T19:43:39Z")
If garlic were toxic, I’d have died years ago. I put so much into some meals it might more properly be considered a side dish than an ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/48 "2009-10-03T21:40:39Z")
Garlic and onions help to prevent cancer: [Tufts & Health Nutrition - Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter](http://tuftshealthletter.com/ShowArticle.aspx?rowId=436) ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/49 "2009-10-04T02:52:57Z")
“Toxic” and “toxin” are bullshit words. Or rather, “toxic” is legitimate as an adjective applied to the word ‘dose’, but “toxin” has no scientific basis whatsoever. Anything can be toxic, including water, depending on its dose. Garlic does contain an active chemical that has the potential to be toxic at a reasonable dose. (An LD50 of 80 grams of oil or two pounds of fruit isn’t unreasonably high.) But at a much lower dose, the dose at which it is commonly encountered, it is actually beneficial. AND HERE IS THE CATCH. Most “toxins” are similarly beneficial at very low doses. (E.g., sulfites and alcohol, as you all know, but even arsenic makes farm animals, at least, grow meatier and healthier.) The effect is called hormesis. It is extremely underapperciated today, but it’s true. Even if you want to argue about it, I think everyone will agree about the general principle of dosage and that things should not be labeled as toxic for what they might do at one dose but not another. It’s illogical. ---
**Author:** ![diji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@diji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diji)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/50 "2013-09-10T20:31:03Z")
If you were to inject garlic you’d die shortly. if you have a leaky gut or weak stomach/intestinal linings then garlic can hurt you. garlic is an acid that physically burns mucous membrane. if any of this powerful acid enters your bloodstream then it can even damage brain tissue itself. this being said, cooking garlic for a few minutes greatly reduces the risks. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/51 "2013-09-10T20:39:19Z")
> [@diji](#): > > **If you were to inject garlic you’d die shortly.** if you have a leaky gut or weak stomach/intestinal linings then garlic can hurt you. garlic is an acid that physically burns mucous membrane. if any of this powerful acid enters your bloodstream then it can even damage brain tissue itself. this being said, cooking garlic for a few minutes greatly reduces the risks. No shit. If you inject peanut butter, milk or bread, you would die quickly. Mind giving some cites for your ridiculous claims? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/52 "2013-09-10T20:42:01Z")
Are we talking fresh garlic or zombie garlic? The [National Institutes of Health](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/300.html) offer some quality straight dope, including potential concerns. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/53 "2013-09-10T20:43:29Z")
**Diji** I’d like to second **Runner Pat** ’s skepticism and request for cites. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/54 "2013-09-10T20:45:18Z")
> [@diji](#): > > If you were to inject garlic you’d die shortly. Congratulations-you’ve just proven the toxicity of air. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/55 "2013-09-10T21:00:50Z")
> [@diji](#): > > If you were to inject garlic you’d die shortly. if you have a leaky gut or weak stomach/intestinal linings then garlic can hurt you. garlic is an acid that physically burns mucous membrane. if any of this powerful acid enters your bloodstream then it can even damage brain tissue itself. this being said, cooking garlic for a few minutes greatly reduces the risks. Thanks, I’ll be sure to cook garlic in the future before injecting it. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/56 "2013-09-10T21:14:06Z")
**Moderator Note** diji, welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board (SDMB). Note that the thread you are replying to is from 2009. Threads that get revived like this are often referred to as “zombies” around here. We don’t mind zombies, as long as you contribute something new to the discussion, but you can usually expect a few zombie jokes due to the thread revival. Please note however that many of the thread’s original participants may no longer be around to reply to your comment. Also, note that General Questions is a place for questions with factual answers, and it is common in this forum to be asked to cite references for any information given (as you may have already noticed), especially if it is perceived as somewhat controversial. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to read the General Questions Rules and FAQs at the top of the forum. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/57 "2013-09-10T21:16:07Z")
> [@diji](#): > > If you were to inject garlic you’d die shortly. if you have a leaky gut or weak stomach/intestinal linings then garlic can hurt you. garlic is an acid that physically burns mucous membrane. if any of this powerful acid enters your bloodstream then it can even damage brain tissue itself. this being said, cooking garlic for a few minutes greatly reduces the risks. BS. [Mental Health | livestrong](http://www.livestrong.com/article/248672-benefits-of-garlic-for-the-brain/) ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/58 "2013-09-10T21:41:14Z")
Why the hell would anyone inject garlic? Dammit - 2009 thread :smack: ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/59 "2013-09-10T23:01:14Z")
If I had a “leaky gut” I would worry more about peritonitis than about garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893/60 "2013-09-10T23:49:30Z")
Certain Transylvanians find garlic injurious to their health. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-garlic-toxic/511893.md?page=4)