Not Hair Loss News – Can Garlic Prevent A Cold?

The old wives tale that garlic can prevent the common cold may have some support. According to MPR “In a recent review published in the Cochrane Library, researchers were only able to find one study that met their inclusion criteria. In this trial, 146 subjects were given either a garlic supplement (180mg allicin content) or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. In the garlic group, there were 24 occurrences of the common cold (111 days of illness) while in the placebo group there were 65 occurrences (366 days of illness).” Recovery periods were no different between the two groups. Garlic was believed to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties and this limited study supports this. The common cold is common as “children have six to eight colds per year and adults have two to four”. There is a substitute for Garlic called Allicin dosed at 180mg although I never prescribed it.