It’s been used to treat ailments for thousands of years.
But eating garlic really does have health benefits, researchers have concluded.
A study found consuming the common seasoning can help slash the risk of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
And how healthy garlic is could be down to how it is prepared, according to the researchers at Nottingham University.
The team conducted a review of the literature surrounding garlic, as studies into its health benefits have been inconsistent.
Study leader Dr Peter Rose explained the mix of results was likely due to the vast array of compounds in garlic, mainly sulphuric ones.
Different levels of the compounds are released through chopping garlic, pressing it for oil or fermenting it in alcohol – known as the ‘Ancient Tibetan Garlic Cure’.
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This could explain the strikingly different results into the health effects of garlic, the researchers said.
But Dr Rose and colleagues admitted it was still a mystery as to which method of eating garlic is the most beneficial.
This means they can’t yet provide solid evidence on whether chewing a raw clove will provide greater benefits than enjoying a slice of garlic bread.
Dr Rose said: ‘Each of these preparative forms could have a different effect within mammalian systems.
‘And that’s what makes this research so complex, because we don’t really understand how these compounds are metabolised in humans.’
Garlic is a member of the allium family of plants, along with onions, leeks and and chives, which absorb sulfate from the soil.
These same sulfur compounds are what give garlic its distinct taste, and lingering smell.
Scientists…