According to the study in the International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, garlic has been used to prevent and treat different diseases since 1500 BC. This study and a February 2014 study in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine reported that garlic was incorporated into treatments for many different diseases, including arthritis, respiratory infections, digestive disorders, snake and insect bites, gynecologic diseases and infectious diseases.
Garlic isn’t used to treat such a wide variety of diseases any longer, but it does have quite a few potential health benefits. Both of these studies stated that garlic may be able to help:
Garlic is also known to have beneficial antimicrobial properties and is being considered as a component of treatments for various viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases.
Despite the many potential health benefits of garlic, you shouldn’t assume that garlic powder benefits are all the same. Garlic powder, which is produced as both a supplement and as a cooking spice, can vary substantially.
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, garlic powder supplements are processed in a way that focuses on garlic’s beneficial sulfuric compounds. These sulfur-based bioactive compounds are one of the main components behind garlic powder’s benefits. However, varied compounds are likely to be present in garlic powder supplements and seasonings since these products are created in different ways.
Additionally, some of garlic’s beneficial bioactive compounds won’t benefit you if you’re consuming plain garlic powder. This is because those compounds tend to be degraded by your stomach acid.
If you’re planning to consume powdered garlic and want to maximize its benefits on your health, try to consume garlic powder supplements with enteric coatings. Otherwise, fresh garlic’s benefits are likely to be better than garlic powder benefits for your health.