Anti-Mycobacterial Activity of Garlic

notice it also mentions the vapor can damage lung tissue so please be careful

I was just reading an article on FB of all places that said old timers used to cut up garlic jar and fill it with Honey and then use the honey as a tonic for bacterial infections. They also used onions for respiratory infections and sore throats. I dont know if these things work but its cheap enough to try and nothing to loose

I have been experimenting with topical skin absorption of fresh garlic oil/allicin to avoid first pass metabolism by the liver. Apparently Allicin is the garlic component that has the most antimicrobial action, but its metabolite has unknown or known less effectiveness? The allicin can be absorbed through the skin.,

CAUTION: topical garlic oil can cause a serious chemical burn so use extreme caution (small amounts distributed over wide skins areas?). A large amount applied to a small area can cause skin breakdown and needing surgical intervention. I found a medical case report about this very issue but as my account is new it won't let me post a link.

thanks for the warning......good to know! welcome to the blog

Your welcome! I have seen some discussion about breathing in garlic vapors but that also seems like tricky business as the concentration that kills microbes is just about the same concentration that kills lung epithelial cells. The authors suggested keeping a steady flow of glutathione in the person's system to help offset this problem, but I read elsewhere that microbes can also use glutathione to avoid damage. It is a dizzying and frustrating array of variables to try to account for.