Why is Garlic Important ?

Do you know why you need garlic ?

It is important for detoxication.

Garlic contains sulfur and detoxication process of conjugation requires that for the process.

Let me just quote from this book called 'Detoxify or DIE' by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D. It is about this topic 'The Invisible Crux, the Detoxication System'.

You have heard of the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, the respiratory system, the gastrointernal system, even the impalpable immune system. But they are all paralyzed if the detoxication system is not functioning. Although the detoxication system is the most underrated of all the systems taught about in medical schools, its function determines the presence of absence of disease in every other system of the body. Detoxication is clearly the primary determinant of disease. So let's learn more about this beautifully orchestrated biochemistry which is arbitrarily divided by scientists into two phases, phase I and phase II.

In Phase 1, the detox chemistry merely moves electrons around. This shifting of eletroons through a variety of choices (oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis,) prepares an anchor site for phase II. But not all results of this dance of eletrons are favorable. Sometimes we create a more toxic substance, as is commonly done with chemicals that outgas from plastics like vinyl chloride and styrene, as well as tricholoethylene, found commonly in U.S water supplies. Yes, unfortunately the body actually can use phase I to create a more potent cancer-causing chemical than the original compound. Cancer-causing epoxides and DNA adducts (that trigger cancer genes) are created, especially if the system was unable to make the chemical less toxic, either because of competition or overload from other chemical.

One important enzyme in phase I is alcohol dehydrogenase which requires a molecule of zinc to function perfectly. The next step often uses enzyme aldehyde oxidase, which requires a molecule of the mineral molybdenum for perfect function. Right away you can see that if your diet is low in either of these minerals, you may not properly metabolize environmental chemicals in the very first step of detoxication. And that is exactly what happens with some folks who develop brain fog,inability to concentrate, poor memory, that spacey, dopey, dizzy feeling. Their brains have short-circuited the biochemical transformation of an environmental chemical. They actually made choral hydrate in their brains, which is the same chemical as the old 'Mickey Finn', or the knock-out drops. Luckily lots of different nutrients, especially antioxidants, boost the function of phase I, like ascorbate (vitamin C), tocopherol (vitamin E), thioctic acid (lipoic acid), tocotrienols (the other part of vitamic E), coenyme Q10, glutathione, gingko biloba, pyconogenol, carotenoids, taurin quercetin, selenium, molybdenum, zinc, magnesium, and muc more.

Magnesium is an example of one mineral that is very important for phase I detoxication. And yet, the average American diet only provides about 40%, or less than half the amount that we need in a day. Furthermore, studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Whang) clearly showed that even though well over half of the hospitalized population is dangerously low in magnesium, over 90% of doctors fail to even order a test for magnesium, much less the correct test. Unfortunately many of these people died (and continue to die) from their undiagnosed magnesium test, it was the wrong test. They ordered the less sensitive serum magnesium. Less that 1% of the body's magnesium is in the serum,. The infinitely more useful test is the RBC (Red Blood Cell) magnesium. Do not settle for a serum assay.

Phase II of detoxication is a bit trickier. Now that electrons have been moved around on the surface of the chemical, the body can hook a large molecule onton the chemical at that prepared anchor site. This makes the unwanted chemical heavy and polar (electrically charged). This makes it easier for the body to drag the chemical out of the bloodstream and into the liver, the into the gall bladder, where it is finally excreted in the stool. Thus our foreign chemicals end up right where they belong, off to porcelain pastures.

Tere are lots of types of molecules that the body uses for this phase II process called conjugation. But do not let that big word scare you, because all it means is we have 'married', coupled, or hooked a big molecule onto the chemical (conjugated it), making it heavier and easier to drag out of the body. For conjugates, the body uses sulfure groups (which why onions and garlic are so good for you), amino acides like glycine, cysteine, taurine, and other substances like glucuronic acid. But one of the most important conjugating molecules that we use to get rid of disease-provoking chemicals is glutathione. You remember this as the Recancostat in your detox cocktail. We make this in the body, but in this era of unprecedented pollution, we cannot make as much as we need.