Garlic as an Aid in Fighting Cancer

LIU JINZHOU

GARLIC is an effective help in the prevention and treat­ment of cancer. Laboratory research in the United States indicates that the enzyme garlicin checks the growth of cancer cells. In clinical practice, Chinese doctors have gained similar results. At present, the preventive role of garlic is stressed.
It is known that germanium and selenium tend to prevent cancer. Garlic has a high content of these two trace elements. A healthy person's gastric juice has a high acidity. But those over 40 or with chronic gastric atrophy secrete less gastric acid­ity. Its PH value can drop to only 5, under such a condition in­ducing bacteria or moulds to develop in the stomach. Acted up­on by these, the nitrate people take with food is reduced to ni­trite, a major carcinogenic substance that composes nitrosamine. Garlic, however, controls the growth of bacteria and mould and thus can check the forming of nitrite, the nec­essary element for synthesizing nitrosamines.

Bacteria and mould are catalytic agents in the synthesis of dimethyl nitrosamine, diethyl sitrosamine and dibutyl ni­trosamine. Without these agents synthesizing is difficult. Garlic stops bacteria and mould from acting as catalytic agents.

When the PH value of gastric juice is normal, nitrite and secondary amine undergo chemical reaction to form ni­trosamine. Garlic acts on nitrite, preventing it from combining with secondary amine to form nitrosamine.

Carcinogenic substances exist in most people.   But somepeople develop cancer and some do not. This depends on the a-bility of a person to resist the disease. People in many countries eat garlic for their health. Its enzyme helps the digestion of fats and protein so they are easily assimilated. This is perhaps the reason garlic gives people a good appetite. Garlic contains glycoside that can control cholesterol and balance transaminase, two elements that also help prevent cancer. Doctors in Japan have discovered that cells treated with garlic preparations gain an enhanced immunity that stimulates the body to have an immunity reaction to wipe out cancer cells.

Thus facts show that eating garlic is a safe and effective way to help prevent cancer. An example is Cangshan County in China's Shandong Province, a main garlic growing area. Be­cause its inhabitants eat much garlic, the mortality rate of can­cer of the stomach there is the lowest in the province. Koreans love garlic and the incidence of cancer in that country is among the lowest in the world.

Careful chewing of the garlic brings out the full action of the enzyme garlicin which wipes out the bacteria and mould in the body that are the catalysts in the synthesization of the ni-trosamines. When garlic is cooked, its enzyme is lost. The heat also damages other elements in garlic that prevent such synthe­sization. Pounded garlic should be eaten at once before its effi­ciency is lowered. Those who are not used to eating raw garlic can try sweet and sour garlic (garlic soaked in vinegar with sug­ar) , though its efficiency is not the best.

Adults should eat 10 grams of garlic (4 cloves) a day. Re­sults can be seen with time.