Our editors independently select these products. While some swear by warm tea or chicken soup , a lot of folks on social media have been turning to a slightly smellier option: raw garlic. Yep, that pungent little clove has long been rumored to help fight colds. But does it really work, or is it just another home remedy hype? But can garlic really help you kick a cold? Some promising evidence suggests that it can: One study in particular found that participants who took a garlic supplement milligrams of allicin daily for 12 weeks had significantly fewer colds 2 —24 occurrences compared to 65 in the placebo group.
While that is a big difference, the authors cautioned that more research is needed to back up the findings. A slightly newer systematic review—published in in Trends in Food and Science Technology —also found that garlic and its organosulfur compounds ingredients containing the mineral sulfur , which can be found in other veggies like leeks, broccoli, and onions have antiviral properties 3 that may help prevent viral infections. That said, it's still worth giving it a try if you're not allergic, of course to see if it helps you personally.
Here are a few potential health benefits you can reap from eating the aromatic vegetable. The saying goes "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," but a clove of garlic might also have some immune-boosting benefits that rival the popular fruit.
Case in point: garlic is thought to stimulate immune cells like macrophages and T- and B-cells , which help fight infection and produce antibodies , says William Li, MD , physician-scientist and author of Eat to Beat Disease.
Studies have even found that aged garlic extract 4 is associated with enhanced immune cell function because it helps immune cells replicate faster. Apart from helping fight off infection, some research suggests that garlic's bioactive ingredient allicin also contains antiviral properties 5 that might help prevent viruses like the common cold, says Dr.
