Dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria are creating global health threats. But scientists have discovered a superfood that may provide a key to killing these superbugs.
The stupendously healthy superfood is garlic. Studies show that it contains natural chemicals that can help the immune system fight off bacteria that resist antibiotics.
“We know that there is a potent chemical compound in the garlic plant that neutralizes resistant bacteria by paralyzing their communication system. My (research) demonstrates that ajoene — the substance present in garlic — specifically prevents the bacteria from secreting the toxin rhamnolipid which destroys white blood cells in the body. White blood cells are indispensable because they play a crucial role in the immune defense system, not only warding off infection, but also killing bacteria,” says researcher Tim Holm Jakobsen who is at the University of Copenhagen.
Bacteria often clump together in a biofilm that makes them especially resistant to antibiotics. Garlic can help kill off these entrenched germs.
“Ajoene (from garlic) supports and improves treatment with conventional antibiotics. We have clearly demonstrated this on biofilm cultivated in the laboratory and in trials involving mice. When we add antibiotics to biofilm they have very little effect, and ajoene alone barely makes any difference. It is only when the two are combined that something significant happens,” says Jakobsen.
