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Research has demonstrated garlic’s health-boosting benefits due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and antioxidant activities, to name a few. Studies^2,3,4 also support the notion that this humble herb has anticancer effects, which should be good enough reason for you to include more of it in your diet.

Garlic Contains Potent Anticancer Phytochemicals

A study published in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy⁵ highlights how garlic’s novel phytochemicals can help protect against cancer. According to the authors:

"Cancer researchers have identified that many of the phytochemicals of garlic have anticancer effects. Recently, we found that some components of garlic have novel therapeutic anticancer properties.

This review will discuss the anticancer mechanisms of garlic phytochemicals, showing their potential for cancer treatment in compared to conventional chemoprevention agents."

The researchers noted that the organosulfur compounds (OSCs) in garlic are responsible for its health benefits. These OSCs can be divided into two kinds: oil-soluble compounds and water-soluble compounds.

Alliin, allicin and ajoene are the oil-soluble organosulfur compounds in garlic; allicin is the primary sulfur compound and gives this food its pungent aroma. When garlic is crushed or chopped, it releases a compound called alliinase, which then converts alliin to allicin.

The researchers note that the water-soluble organosulfur compounds — namely S-allylcysteine (SAC) and S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), metabolites allyl mercaptan (AM) and allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) — are the ones that give garlic its anticancer properties, even though they just make up a small portion of garlic’s compounds.

"SAC is an odorless, stable, water-soluble compound with antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering effects in clinical studies … Previous results have shown that SAC acts as an effective agent against the malignant progression of human non-small cell lung carcinoma in both in vitro and in vivo model," the researchers note.⁶

Studies Highlight Garlic’s Mechanisms of Action Against Cancer

Garlic’s biological effects against cancer have been demonstrated in animal and human studies, and the researchers note that they have certain actions on the various stages of cancer:⁷

"In the initiation stage, blocking phytochemicals prevents the bioactivation of carcinogens through antioxidation, antimutagenesis and detoxication. In the promotion stage, suppressing phytochemicals inhibits the proliferation of clonal cells by modulating protein folding and DNA repair.

In the progression stage, suppressing phytochemicals impedes the growth or metastasis of tumors by changing the cell behaviors, including antiproliferation, apoptosis and immunocompetence."

To make it easier to understand, here’s a summary of what garlic does to help prevent cancer proliferation and progression in your system:⁸

• Suppressing mutagenesis or preventing DNA mutations that can heighten cancer risk.
• Scavenging free radicals that damage healthy cells.
• Regulating enzyme activities, which are essential to your body functions.
• Inhibiting protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum, which is part of your cells.
• Influencing cancer cell behavior, namely preventing the cells from growing rapidly, making them more susceptible to apoptosis (cancer cell death) and allowing them to be easily detected by your immune system.

The researchers explained that when tumor cells spread in your body, cancer becomes more challenging to treat. Through its compounds, garlic can help block signaling pathways that are needed in cell migration and prevent the spread of tumor cells.

"We thought that garlic components not only have functions in the stages of cancer chemoprevention but also have uncovered potency for cancer therapy," they said.⁹

Garlic Helps Inhibit Relapse by Targeting Cancer Stem Cells

Another study published in the International Journal of Herbal Medicine¹⁰ also reveals that garlic can help prevent cancer from relapsing by targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs). These are the cells found within a tumor that can self-renew and turn into more cancer cells.

Conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy cannot eliminate these stem cells; even if the tumor is removed, but these CSCs are left behind, they can metastasize and spread.

The researchers conducted in-vitro testing using three different types of garlic extract on different types of cancer cells, including breast, colon, prostate, colon, hepatic and cervical cancers. The extracts were made from fresh garlic cloves, and all showed anticancer potential, although the third extract (G3), made from an evaporated mixture of fresh cloves and ethanol, showed the greatest anticancer activity. According to the study authors:¹¹

"Chemotherapeutic drugs end up killing cancer cells sparing CSCs which after a while can give rise to a full-blown tumor with high metastatic potential. These drugs mainly involve the use of synthetic compounds.

Thus the need of the hour is to have a natural agent which can possess both anticancer and anticancer stem cell activity and additionally should have no or minimal effect on normal cell population."

A review of studies published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology¹² not only echoes these findings but also further explains how garlic protects against the harsh side effects of conventional cancer treatments. The researchers noted that garlic may help protect the liver against arsenic trioxide, a medicine used in leukemia patients, and tamoxifen, a medicine used by breast cancer patients.

What Else Can Garlic Do for Your Health?

Garlic belongs to the allium plant family, along with leeks, onions and chives.¹³ In addition to allicin and other sulfur compounds and metabolites, this herb is also rich in bioactive compounds like organic sulfides, saponins, phenolics and polysaccharides. It contains high levels of phosphorus, potassium and zinc as well.¹⁴

Even Hippocrates, the father of medicine, acknowledged the value of garlic for human health, and prescribed it as a cleansing agent, as well as for treatment against abdominal and uterine growths and uterine problems.¹⁵