The Best Sources of Garlic

What’s the best source of garlic? Um… garlic. Plain and simple.

But, if you’re looking to get garlic benefits without all the garlicky smell, well… you may be fresh out of luck. Sorry, but it’s true. There are a variety of garlic products but, unfortunately, some odorless garlic options, like odorless garlic supplements, may not contain the same active compounds found in real cloves or garlic powders.

For example, a dose of 600 mg of garlic extract typically produces 3,600 mcg (micrograms) of allicin. A dose of fresh garlic—about one clove—typically produces approximately 18,300 mcg of allicin.

Allicin is an organosulfur compound, which gives garlic its scent. Allicin is very unstable and can quickly change into another compound entirely. Allicin exhibits antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activities in addition to other health benefits.

Obviously, the whole-foods version is the best way of getting all your garlic benefits, and consuming fresh cloves in your diet is the most efficient and powerful way to go about it. Moreover, you’ll be more certain you’re getting the complete package of health boosters that garlic has to offer. Assuming you’re not allergic to garlic and simply don’t enjoy the flavor, just use less when preparing a dish. American recipes often use more than is needed to flavor food, so you can use less and still get some of the health benefits.

If you do, however, decide to try garlic powder, a reasonable dose is 300 mg of garlic powder, three times a day. You should be able to get your dose of allicin that way.