Garlic ranks highly among health protecting foods, largely due to its antioxidant sulfur compounds. Fresh garlic, however, is not for everyone; it can cause indigestion and its odor is a possible social deterrent. The health benefits of garlic, however, do not depend on freshness or pungency. Scientific studies show that Aged Garlic Extract (AGE), which is odorless and richer in antioxidants than fresh or other forms of garlic preparations, is more effective in boosting immunity and protecting against cardiovascular disease, cancer, aging, and drug toxicity.
AGED GARLIC
AGE is produced by extracting and aging organic fresh garlic at room temperature for 20 months. By combining this extraction/aging process, the antioxidant levels in the extract become higher than those in fresh. The process also converts garlic’s more unstable substances, which are generally not available to the body, such as its odor-generating compound oxidant allicin, to more stable, bio-available, and health-promoting substances. Garlic aged in this way contains stable water-soluble sulfur substances, including S-Allyl mercaptocysteine (SAMC) and S-Allyl cysteine (SAC), which are powerful antioxidants and have high bio-availability with 98 percent absorption into the blood. Also present are some oil-soluble sulfur compounds, flavonoids, a phenol allixin, and other nutrients, including selenium. However, it’s the water-soluble sulfur compounds that are largely responsible for the health benefits of AGE.