Crystal Nelson
Black garlic is fermented white garlic. It has a stronger effect than regular garlic because it has a significantly higher antioxidant content. Black garlic has a very good effect on the heart and blood vessels and is therefore considered a home remedy for arteriosclerosis in naturopathy. In addition, the black toes have a detoxifying effect and protect your liver from toxins. At the same time, black garlic leaves no bad breath and is very well tolerated.
Black garlic is fermented white garlic
Black garlic is white garlic that has been fermented. It is formed when normal white garlic is left to ferment for a few weeks in the absence of air at a certain temperature (60 to 80 degrees) and a certain humidity (70 to 95 percent).
The garlic not only takes on black color, but its consistency also becomes soft and the taste becomes sweet and mildly spicy. It is often written that the taste is reminiscent of “plum compote, licorice, and balsamic vinegar mixed with the typical garlic taste”.
Black garlic is an ideal ingredient for many dishes, whether pizza, pasta, salads, or as a spread. In addition, there is no smell of garlic after eating black garlic, since black garlic hardly contains the allicin that gives it its odor.
But that is just a pleasant side effect. Fermentation, on the other hand, is carried out because it transforms the garlic – which already has an antioxidant and healing effect – into an even stronger antioxidant and into an even more effective home remedy for the prevention and accompanying therapy of diseases of all kinds.
The effect of white garlic
White garlic (Allium sativum) alone is known for its impressive effects, especially when it comes to cardiovascular health.
Garlic improves cardiovascular health
White garlic has an antihypertensive, cholesterol-lowering, blood-thinning, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effect. Garlic is often used to prevent arteriosclerosis (limescale deposits in the blood vessels), because garlic improves the health of the blood vessels, supports the healing of injuries in the vascular walls, and makes vascular walls more elastic again.
The white tuber also improves the overall physical and mental condition, sexual performance, and resistance to cancer and infections. Regular consumption of garlic can also have a positive effect on the course of existing cancer, e.g. B. Prostate cancer.
Garlic lowers PSA levels in prostate cancer
A 2003 pilot study showed that 200 mg of raw garlic per kilogram of body weight (over a period of just one month) reduced PSA levels in prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement by 60 percent.
Garlic detoxifies lead at lower doses
Garlic is also a great addition to any detox regimen. It has a detoxifying effect in small amounts, according to a study of workers at a car battery factory (who suffered from lead exposure). The workers ate garlic three times a day for four weeks or received the conventional lead-removing drug D-penicillamine.
After four weeks, the symptoms caused by the constant exposure to lead, such as headaches, low blood pressure, and reduced muscle reflexes, had improved in the garlic group. The lead load in the blood was reduced by 19 percent. In the D-penicillamine group, the lead concentration in the blood was reduced by 24 percent. Interestingly, however, the remedy was not able to alleviate the symptoms, so the garlic showed a better overall result.
The active ingredients alliin and allicin in white garlic
The main active ingredient (or rather the starting material) in conventional, i.e. white, garlic is called alliin. When garlic is minced in any way (sliced, chewed, blended, ground, etc.), alliin becomes allicin.
The alliin content is 6 to 14 mg per gram of fresh garlic (0.6 to 1.4 percent). If you crush the garlic, 2.5 to 4.5 mg of allicin can be produced per gram.
Since allicin is very unstable, numerous fat- and water-soluble sulfur compounds are formed, which on the one hand give garlic its unmistakable smell and taste, but on the other hand, are also responsible for its health effects.
The amount of garlic used in the lead study above corresponded to only 1.2 mg allicin per dose, i.e. a total of 3.6 mg allicin. If you consider that 1 g of fresh garlic already contains 2.5 to 4.5 mg of allicin (or is formed from alliin when it is crushed), then about 2 g of fresh garlic (a small clove) is enough the amount of allicin used in the worker study.
In general, however, it is recommended to eat a whole clove of white (raw) or black garlic two to three times a day if you are not only improving in terms of detoxification, but also in other areas (cardiovascular system, protection against infection and cancer, etc.). ) wants to have an effect.
The active ingredients in black garlic
While alliin or allicin and the resulting sulfur compounds are the main active ingredients in fresh garlic, it is S-allyl cysteine (SAC) in black garlic, an extremely strong antioxidant with a high free-radical scavenging capacity. Compared to allicin and alliin, SAC is very stable and remains functional for at least 12 months in corresponding preparations (e.g. in black garlic extract) (11) (12) (13).
Fresh (white) garlic also contains SAC but in smaller amounts. During the fermentation process, the SAC content increases from 200 µg/g to 7,200 µg/g.
Other active ingredients in black garlic (e.g. tetrahydro-beta-carboline or N-alpha-(1-deoxy-D-fructose-1-yl)-L-arginine) and fructans further complement the spectrum of effects of fermented garlic.
Black garlic works even better than white garlic
Since black garlic only has about half the water content of white garlic, this alone increases the nutrient and vital substance values. In addition, black garlic has a significantly higher content – three times as much – of antioxidant phenolic compounds, so it also has a stronger and better effect than white garlic. The effect of black garlic is further enhanced by its high content of the radical scavenger S-allyl cysteine mentioned above.
There have long been numerous studies on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of black garlic, including its immune-system-strengthening and colon-cancer-fighting properties. Since black garlic also has an antidiabetic effect, it has also earned a place in the therapy of diabetes, as well as in the prevention of allergies due to its antiallergic effect. Like white garlic, black garlic is considered a regulator of blood lipid levels and a protector of the heart and liver.
Black garlic against atherosclerosis
Increased oxidative stress is a significant cause of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction (when blood vessels can no longer expand and contract properly), and heart disease – with these words the summary of an Indonesian study from 2019 begins.
The black garlic now has such far-reaching effects that it can be described as a home remedy for arteriosclerosis and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as the scientists of the study mentioned explain in more detail, because:
- Thanks to its high content of sulfur compounds, black garlic can be used as an antioxidant to reduce arteriosclerosis and as an anti-inflammatory to alleviate damage to blood vessels.
- Black garlic prevents the particularly harmful and risky oxidation of LDL cholesterol (which tends to form deposits on the walls of blood vessels), lowers LDL cholesterol levels, and at the same time increases what is known as good HDL cholesterol.
- Black garlic strengthens the body’s own antioxidant enzymes and reduces blood vessel resistance, making the blood vessels more elastic again.
Black garlic improves heart functions in coronary artery disease
According to a 2018 study, black garlic significantly improves heart function in patients who already suffer from coronary artery disease. One speaks of coronary heart disease when the coronary arteries are narrowed by deposits, i.e. when arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is present in this area.
120 patients were available for this study. They all already suffered from heart failure due to their coronary artery disease, which means that the heart was already affected and weakened. These patients received 20 g of black garlic or a placebo daily for six months. Various cardiac parameters (ejection fraction, antioxidant level, BNP, etc.) were then used to show that the garlic group was now doing better than the placebo group and their quality of life had increased.
Black garlic to protect the liver from toxins
According to initial cell studies, black garlic also protects the liver. In a 2018 study, when liver cells were given highly toxic substances that would normally lead to cell death, black garlic extract was able to reduce the number of “deaths” among the cells. The extract reduced the oxidative stress in the cells, ensured that the cells’ own antioxidants were not completely depleted, and lowered the level of pro-inflammatory substances. Black garlic could therefore be used very well to protect the liver or to support detoxification cures or detoxification of any kind.
A year later, another study confirmed the liver-protecting properties of black garlic. It was discovered that when the liver was exposed to a toxic substance, black garlic could lower the normally rising liver enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP). Liver malondialdehyde – a marker for oxidative stress – also fell noticeably under the influence of black garlic. At the same time, the level of the body’s own antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) increased.
How to use and use black garlic
Black garlic is available for use in the kitchen as whole peeled cloves of garlic in a jar. The application is very simple. The cloves are simply cut into fine slices and used as a topping, e.g. B. on pizza, pasta, bread, salads or soups, curries, and stews.
Capsules with black garlic
If you want to enjoy its highly concentrated active ingredients, you can take black garlic as an extract in capsule form. Alcohol (ethanol) is usually used for extraction. After the extraction, the alcohol is removed again and what remains are the pure active ingredients of the black garlic.
You usually take 2 of the capsules a day, which – in the case of the capsules of effective nature – deliver 900 mg of extract. The pack lasts for two months. For a better effect, take the capsules on an empty stomach, i.e. before meals.
