Garlic

By Janice M. Horowitz

Oh, that stinking rose! What makes garlic—and your breath—smell so bad is precisely what makes it so healthful. The odor factors are sulfur-based compounds known as allyl sulfides. Health gurus promote garlic as a cure-all, which it certainly is not, but many scientists agree that allyl sulfides and other phytochemicals in garlic may help protect the heart. Studies show that the sulfides can reduce cholesterol and may make the blood less sticky. Scientists are fairly confident that garlic also has antibacterial and antifungal powers. Preliminary reports even suggest that garlic may block the parasites that cause malaria. On perhaps less firm footing is the theory that allyl sulfides can stop tumor growth, a notion so far borne out only in the petri dish.

To release garlic's potent compounds, you need to smash, mash or mince it. Cooking it for a long time or at a high heat may destroy its beneficial substances, however. Another caution: cooked or raw, garlic can irritate the lining of sensitive stomachs.