Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities of Garlic

Garlic the famous bulb plant, is acknowledged by many as an important culinary spice and easily recognized by its pungent smell. This review seeks to establish an insight into the plant garlic, its history, bioactive compounds, and biological properties.

Due to various extensive clinical and experimental researches, it has been proven that garlic is not just a culinary spice but also a plant found to possess great health benefits for the treatment of various diseases. These great health benefits are attributed to the organosulfur compounds, saponins, phenolics polysaccharides, and amino acids present in it which elicit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, cardio-protective, neuro-protective, immuno-modulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive properties. Garlic is considered generally safe for humans even by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the bulb can however induce gastric agitation especially when ingested in high doses. Randomized controlled studies that assessed the safety of garlic reported vomiting, insomnia, dizziness, heartburn, headache, hypotension, bloating, tachycardia, and offensive body odor. Moreover, ingesting high doses of raw garlic on an empty stomach can change in the intestinal flora and can also cause gastrointestinal disturbances.

Various studies have reported the organosulfur compounds as the major bioactive compounds present in garlic. Inadvertently, the compounds have numerous advantageous effects both in checking and in managing different diseases