Who Found Allicin, and How Garlic Went From Ancient Remedy to Supplement

Garlic has a long record as a remedy in ancient medical texts. Allicin, the compound that forms when garlic is crushed, was isolated and described by Cavallito and Bailey in 1944. This history follows the record from those texts to the aged garlic extract trials, with each claim tied to its source.

The history of garlic as a remedy is old, but allicin, the sulfur compound that forms when garlic is crushed, was not isolated and described until 1944. Cavallito and Bailey did the work. The supplement story runs from ancient medical texts to a pyramid inscription, a set of lab studies, and the blood pressure and cholesterol trials on aged garlic extract. ## What the ancient texts said garlic was for Garlic has a long history of use in food and in medicine. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) notes that ancient writings from Egypt, Greece and India describe garlic for headache, pneumonia, throat conditions and gastrointestinal disorders ([NCCIH fact sheet](https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/garlic)). A 2001 historical review goes further. According to PubMed, Rivlin's review in *The Journal of Nutrition* says ancient medical texts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India each prescribed garlic, and that in many cultures it was given to laborers to increase work capacity ([DOI](https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/131.3.951S)). The review also says garlic was given to the original Olympic athletes in Greece. Because a review is a secondary source, treat those details as the review's account and not as excavated evidence. Our [history of turmeric and curcumin](/blog/history/history-of-turmeric-and-curcumin-from-ayurveda-to-isolation) covers a similar path. ## Did pyramid workers eat garlic? Herodotus is the specific source here. In Book II of his *Histories*, he describes an Egyptian inscription on the Great Pyramid that recorded what was spent on radishes, onions and garlic for the workmen (2.125.6). He says the interpreter who read the inscription to him put the total at 1,600 talents of silver ([University of Oxford chapter quoting 2.125.6](https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7d435009-b0b7-460b-9468-6f8904e34273/files/maf36a902154aa3b90d2e6070d84f59c8); [Herodotus, Book II, MIT Internet Classics Archive](http://classics.mit.edu/Herodotus/history.2.ii.html)). Treat this as a secondhand report. The MIT edition dates the work to about 440 BCE, and Herodotus gives the total through an interpreter's reading, not from a copy of the inscription. The Oxford chapter notes that older critics faulted his description of the pyramids' scale and size as inaccurate, and that his late dating of the pyramid-builders is a known problem. No source reviewed for this post identifies the inscription itself. ## Who found allicin, and what did they show? Allicin forms when garlic tissue is damaged. According to PubMed, a 2014 review by Borlinghaus and colleagues explains that allicin is produced from the amino acid alliin in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme alliinase ([DOI](https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules190812591)). The identification is credited to Cavallito and Bailey in 1944. Borlinghaus and colleagues cite their paper as "Allicin, the antibacterial principle of Allium sativum. I. Isolation, physical properties and antibacterial action," in the *Journal of the American Chemical Society*, volume 66, pages 1950-1951 ([DOI](https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01239a048)). The same review says that once Cavallito and Bailey showed allicin is almost exclusively responsible for garlic's antibiotic properties, the question of its mechanism came next. Lab results form their own category. In the 2014 review's summary of lab work, allicin can inhibit bacteria and fungi in a dose-dependent way, including antibiotic-resistant strains such as MRSA. Those are results from lab cultures, not evidence that garlic treats infections in people. ## Why aged garlic extract gets its own trials The trial record has a methods problem, and Rahman's 2001 review in *The Journal of Nutrition* says so. According to PubMed, Rahman attributes contradictory results to methodological shortcomings, to different garlic preparations, and to different study lengths ([DOI](https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/131.3.977S)). The review calls for trials of standardized formulations with known compositions. It names aged garlic extract as one such formulation under investigation. The argument is about standardization. A preparation of known composition can be tested the same way from one study to the next. ## What the blood pressure and cholesterol trials found Three reviews carry most of the weight here. Each summarizes trials of garlic preparations, and none is a single trial. | Review | Trials covered | What the authors report | |---|---|---| | Ried, Toben and Fakler, 2013, [Nutrition Reviews](https://doi.org/10.1111/nure.12012) | 39 trials of garlic preparations, measuring lipids | Total cholesterol fell 17 ± 6 mg/dL and LDL fell 9 ± 6 mg/dL in people above 200 mg/dL total cholesterol, with use longer than 2 months. HDL improved only slightly, and triglycerides were not significantly influenced. | | Ried, 2019, [Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine](https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.8374) | 12 trials and 553 hypertensive participants | Systolic blood pressure fell 8.3 ± 1.9 mmHg on average across 12 trials. Diastolic fell 5.5 ± 1.9 mmHg across 8 trials and 374 participants. | | Borghi and Cicero, 2016, [British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology](https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.12902) | Review of randomized trials of nutraceuticals with blood pressure effects | Lists aged garlic extract among agents with "a relatively large body of evidence" for lowering blood pressure. | NCCIH's summary is more cautious. It says garlic supplements may reduce total and LDL cholesterol to a small extent in people with high cholesterol, and that limited evidence suggests a small blood pressure effect in people with high blood pressure. These reviews average across different preparations and study lengths, so they describe garlic preparations as a group. For the wider blood pressure picture, see our [heart and blood pressure guide](/health/heart-blood-pressure-complete-guide). ## What about bleeding and blood thinners? NCCIH says garlic supplements may increase the risk of bleeding. It asks people to tell their health care provider, especially before surgery or when taking anticoagulants or aspirin, because some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways. Oral garlic can also cause breath and body odor, abdominal pain, gas and nausea. Fresh raw garlic applied to the skin can cause severe irritation and chemical burns. Oral garlic has been used safely in research studies lasting as long as seven years, NCCIH says, but it may not be safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding in amounts above those in food. ## Bottom line The record of garlic as a remedy is long, and the 1944 identification of allicin is a firm anchor. The trial record is narrower. NCCIH describes the blood pressure and cholesterol effects as small, and it says the immune claims for garlic supplements rest on very little research. A 2022 review it cites found only two studies suggesting a possible benefit, both with small numbers of people and research weaknesses. For that topic, the [immune health guide](/health/immune-health) on this site is the place to start. ## Frequently asked questions **Which ancient texts mention garlic as a remedy?** NCCIH cites ancient writings from Egypt, Greece and India. According to PubMed, Rivlin's 2001 review also cites medical texts from Rome and China, and says garlic was given to laborers for work capacity. **What does Herodotus say about garlic and the pyramids, and how reliable is it?** He reports an inscription on the Great Pyramid that recorded spending on radishes, onions and garlic for the workmen, with a total of 1,600 talents of silver read to him by an interpreter. It is a secondhand account, written around 440 BCE, and critics have faulted his description of the pyramids' scale and size as inaccurate. **Who isolated allicin, and when?** Cavallito and Bailey described allicin in 1944 in the *Journal of the American Chemical Society*. Borlinghaus and colleagues write that the 1944 work showed allicin is almost exclusively responsible for garlic's antibiotic properties ([DOI](https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01239a048)). **Why does aged garlic extract differ from fresh garlic?** Rahman's 2001 review argues for standardization, not for a chemical comparison. It calls for trials of standardized formulations with known compositions and names aged garlic extract as one such formulation ([DOI](https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/131.3.977S)). **What did the blood pressure and cholesterol trials test?** The three reviews covered trials of garlic preparations. Ried and colleagues' 2013 meta-analysis covered 39 trials on lipids, and Ried's 2019 review and meta-analysis pooled 12 trials of 553 hypertensive participants on blood pressure. Aged garlic extract appears among the blood pressure preparations in Borghi and Cicero's 2016 review. **How does garlic interact with blood thinners?** NCCIH says garlic supplements may increase the risk of bleeding, and that telling a provider matters most before surgery or when taking anticoagulants or aspirin. **What did the early antibacterial studies find?** Cavallito and Bailey's 1944 paper is about antibacterial action, according to its title. The 2014 review reports, from lab work, that allicin can inhibit bacteria and fungi in a dose-dependent way, including MRSA. Those findings come from lab cultures, not from human trials. ## Next reads - [Heart and blood pressure guide](/health/heart-blood-pressure-complete-guide): the reference page for the blood pressure evidence in this post. - [History of turmeric and curcumin](/blog/history/history-of-turmeric-and-curcumin-from-ayurveda-to-isolation): another origins story, from Ayurveda to isolation. ### Related reading - [The black seed origin story, from ancient medicine to thymoquinone](/blog/history/history-of-black-seed-from-tutankhamun-tomb-to-thymoquinone) - [The ginger origin story, from the spice route to the capsule](/blog/history/history-of-ginger-from-spice-route-to-capsule)