MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF GARLIC: A REVIEW

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a member of family Alliaceae. It is an annual plant that possess certain medicinal properties such as: Thorax Diseases, Asthma Diseases, Skin Diseases, Blood Disorder, Hypertension, Heart Attack, Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, etc, It also has been used for cooking purposes as a spice that can flavor foods during the cooking process. As well, it possesses therapeutic purposes including the treatment of lung disorders, whooping cough, stomach disorders, cold, earache, and assists in preventing cardiovascular disease. Studies show that the medicinal and nutritional properties of garlic are related to the sulfur compounds present in garlic. Allicin is the most biologically active sulfur-containing compound of garlic, is responsible for its smell and taste. Alliin is the main precursor of allicin, which represents about 70% of total thiosulfates existing in the crushed cloves. Investigation has shown that garlic and its aqueous solution have medicinal properties. Researches show that due to the medicinal properties of garlic, the inhibitory effect of the aqueous extract on bacteria was more than the different tested extracts. The antibacterial potential of two extracts of garlic bulb against pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger was assessed by agar well diffusion method. The organic extracts had strong antibacterial activity against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. All these properties of garlic make it a prosperous medicinal agent which should be focused on to get its potential advantage in different fields.