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Page 49
| is tasteless (check pressing date on the label). It must always be kept refrigerated and, although it can be added to hot foods, it should not be used as a cooking oil. |
| Other sources of EFAs include evening primrose oil, borage seed oil and fatty cold-water fish such as salmon and sardines. |
| Garlic (Allium Sativum) |
| Garlic has been used for thousands and thousands of yearsfor so long, in fact, that its medicinal and culinary applications are older than our written records. This versatile plant contains 33 sulfur compounds, 17 amino acids and several minerals, including germanium, calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium and zinc. In addition, it contains vitamins A, B and C. |
| In the 1940s the substance allicin was discovered. It is a chemically unstable, colorless liquid that provides garlic's pungent odor. For several years, allicin was believed to be the most active ingredient in garlic, accounting for its therapeutic benefits. That claim is still made by the makers of garlic supplements. However, more recent research has shown that garlic contains several ingredients that help improve health. Allicin, because it is so unstable, is difficult to preserve in any manufactured supplement, and the benefits of a high allicin supplement may not be superior to those of other brands. Of course, fresh garlic is an excellent source of not only allicin but all of garlic's compounds. |
| An impressive body of research documents garlic's benefits, especially with regard to heart disease and the circulatory system. The chemical ajoene, a garlic ingre- |
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