Garlic supplements are known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties, and you can use them to help treat genital herpes. Allicin is the active ingredient in garlic. Diallyl sulphides found in garlic may help reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation, but not in everyone. Garlic also contains vitamin C, B6, selenium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, manganese, and flavonoids.
Garlic's Disease-Fighting Compounds
Garlic for Treatment of Herpes
Garlic has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, and contains 80 sulfur compounds. These compounds are used in sulfa drugs. Garlic is also recommended as a natural treatment for the herpes virus.
According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, adverse effects of garlic may include bad breath, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal upset. It may also enhance the metabolism of certain medications, including cyclosporins and saquinavar.
Garlic and Herpes
The Microbiology of Herpes
According to Dr. J. North at the Department of Microbiology, Brigham Young University, garlic extract has proven 100-percent effective with both Herpes Simplex Virus-Type 1 (HSV-1), which causes oral fever blisters, and Herpes Simplex Virus-Type 2 (HSV-2), which causes genital herpes. Dr. North also finds that garlic has proven effective with Human Rhinovirus, which causes colds, and Parainfluenza 3, which causes flu and respiratory illness. He states that garlic has proven 90-percent effective with poliovirus. It may also help inhibit the production of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by strengthening the immune system.
25 Viruses in the Herpes Family
Garlic Gels for Herpes
According to Dr. Richard Hunt, professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of South Carolina, there are 25 viruses in the Herpes family. Some of these are well known, and include the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpes Associated Virus (KSHAV). Garlic is the most popular treatment for the various forms of Herpes, and is available in tablets or gels.
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