Inhibition of influenza virus infection by garlic oil and juice in cell culture

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Abstract Background Influenza virus infections are a significant global health and economic burden. Garlic ( Allium sativum ) has been proposed to have antimicrobial properties. Raw garlic consumption has been widely advocated on the internet to fight influenza by many public health agencies, information of which is easily accessible by the public. There is widespread usage of garlic supplements, but there is little conclusive evidence to support their use as complementary treatments against influenza. Differences in plant variety composition and numerous forms of garlic preparations have contributed to the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of garlic as a herbal medicine. The toxicity of pure garlic oil within a supplement requires a nontoxic carrier diluent, adding complexity to the formulation and potential antimicrobial impact. We sought to explore whether oil and juice extracted from different garlic plant varieties could prevent influenza A virus infection of cells. Results When exposed to solutions containing purified garlic oil, a significant reduction in infectious influenza A virus titre was initially found, but subsequent passages rescued infectious virus, indicating the oils impeded the infection but were not antiviral. Of the eight fresh garlic juice preparations tested, only two caused a 3‐log fold reduction in infectious influenza A virus titre and were able to degrade virus genome, thus exhibited antiviral capacity. Conclusion Our findings indicate that using garlic as a natural health supplement for combatting influenza A virus should be done with caution, as not all garlic varieties and formulations tested in this research exhibited effective antiviral effects.

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