What Exactly is Allicin?

In fresh garlic, there are two precursor chemicals: alliin - a sulphur compound; and alliinase - an enzyme. When the garlic is subjected to stress, such as when it's cut or crushed, these chemicals come together and a reaction starts, which begins by forming a compound called allicin. This also generally happens when the garlic is being attacked by a fungus, or virus, or bacteria, and may even be triggered by a parasite or an insect.

It turns out this allicin may be what is responsible for many of the biological properties attributable to garlic.

Although allicin is unstable in fresh garlic (quickly changing into a series of other sulphur-containing compounds shortly after it is created), researchers learned how to capture and stabilize allicin for study about 15 years ago, which has enabled them to discover exactly what it can do. Allicin has an amazing range of biological activity, being able to kill funguses, viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It's also good for the immune system, and for the cardiovascular system, as well. All of this has been confirmed by controlled, clinical evaluations and proper trials.

The Common Cold Study was a breakthrough in garlic research. In it, 142 patients were recruited - 73 of whom had one capsule of Allimax per day, and the remainder had a matching placebo. There were 60% fewer colds in the Allimax group and more importantly, the number of days that they were infected was dramatically different. On average, the placebo takers took five days to recover from a cold, so Allimax showed genuine antiviral activity. But more importantly, it was also able to prevent a reinfection, so we now know that Allimax is both a preventative and a treatment.