Garlic is one of the most common ingredients in every kitchen. For thousands of years, it has been valued for its numerous health benefiting properties. Each clove of garlic is a powerhouse of nutrients such as Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, folate, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. Some of the known benefits of garlic are mainly due to its sulfur-containing compound, called Allicin, which has anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.
According to the results of a study conducted by researchers from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, garlic possesses biological activities that can help treat warts and corns when applied topically.
The team of researchers divided several patients with warts and corns into three groups:
1st group – consist of 28 patients with two to 96 warts
2nd group – consisted of nine patients with one to two corns
3rd group – consisted of five patients with seven to 35 warts and served as the control group.
The first phase of the study requires the patients to apply water extracts of garlic twice daily on their warts. Then on the second phase, the two groups of the patients were asked to apply a fat-soluble garlic extract twice daily on their warts or corns. On the other hand, a solution containing chloroform and methanol in a 2:1 ratio for 20 days were treated on the controlled group.
Results of the study showed that garlic treatment for 30-40 days has eliminated small warts and partially improved the appearance of larger warts. Also, after 1 to 2 weeks of applying fat-soluble garlic extract, all the patients with corns showed a complete recovery except for two who only showed marked improvement. Meanwhile, the control group showed no improvement for either warts or corns.
Based on these results, the researchers concluded that to treat corns, one should apply fat-soluble garlic extract for 10-20days. These effects were due to the garlic’s antiviral activity, anti-tumor activity, immunomodulatory activity, and fibrinolytic activity.
Results of this study were published in the International Journal of Dermatology.
Some of the other known benefits of garlic are as follows:
Helps Prevent Heart Disease
Due to the antioxidant properties present in allicin, garlic can help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Consume garlic in its raw form to reap all the benefits of sulfur-containing compound allicin.
Helps Alleviate Cold and Cough
According to a study, taking garlic can help boost the function of the immune system. Results revealed that taking garlic supplements can prevent and reduce the severity of common illnesses like the cough and common cold.
May Help Detoxify Heavy Metals in the Body
Experts have found that garlic can protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity. This is due to the sulfur compounds in garlic. Three doses of garlic each day even outperformed the drug D-penicillamine in reducing symptoms.
A Potentially Powerful Antibiotic
In a study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, researchers discovered that garlic contains diallyl sulfide, a compound that was 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics in fighting the Campylobacter bacterium which is one of the common causes of intestinal infections.
