Too Much Garlic: Side Effects, How Much to Eat, and More (2024)

FAQs

Too Much Garlic: Side Effects, How Much to Eat, and More? ›

Eating 1-2 garlic cloves daily can have health benefits, but more can cause bad breath, heartburn, stomach issues, and other unpleasant side effects. It's best to enjoy it in moderation. For many home chefs, garlic is a favorite spice to cook with, thanks to its pungent taste and aroma.

If you're having a particularly garlic-heavy meal, eat apples for dessert or chew on fresh mint leaves. One study indicated that the chemical makeup of raw or heated apples, lettuce, and mint helped deodorize garlic breath. Hot green tea and lemon juice may also help.

You shouldn't add too much garlic to your diet, too quickly. "One to two cloves a day should be the maximum consumed by anyone," says Tracey Brigman, a food and nutrition expert at the University of Georgia. Eating more than that may cause upset stomach, diarrhea, bloating, or bad breath.

Dosages generally recommended in the literature for adults are 4 g (one to two cloves) of raw garlic per day, one 300-mg dried garlic powder tablet (standardized to 1.3 percent alliin or 0.6 percent allicin yield) two to three times per day, or 7.2 g of aged garlic extract per day.

Researchers also found that lemon juice and raw apples are equally excellent antidotes, but there's a catch. For the most effective solution, it's best to use the remedy along right when you're eating the garlic.

The solution: fix too much garlic with a little acidity and sweetness. What we do recommend is our go-to method for mellowing the overly garlicky taste of pesto: adding a touch of acidity and sweetness. Acid (normally in the form of lemon juice or vinegar) denatures allicin, the source of garlic's spiciness.

Drink milk. Milk contains fat molecules that can help neutralize sulfur compounds in garlic and reduce bad breath. It's soothing for your stomach after a heavy meal. You can pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy its refreshing taste while combating garlic breath.

The "10-minute rule" for using garlic effectively involves allowing chopped or crushed garlic to sit for about 10 minutes before cooking or consuming it.

Any time you consume more than a serving size of any food, you may be more likely to experience side effects. The most common symptoms of overeating garlic include body odor and breath that smells like garlic.

Overconsumption of garlic by eating more than 3-4 cloves daily on a regular basis can result in undesirable digestive side effects for many people, including abdominal pain, heartburn, bloating, gas, diarrhea or nausea.

Is it safe to take 1000mg of garlic a day? ›

Dosing. Suggested average daily doses include 2 to 5 g of fresh raw garlic; 0.4 to 1.2 g of dried garlic powder; 2 to 5 mg of garlic oil; 300 to 1,000 mg of garlic extract (as solid material); and 2,400 mg/day of aged garlic extract (liquid).

Eating 1–2 cloves of raw garlic per day may be beneficial. In supplement form, doses of up to 3,600 mg of aged garlic extract per day have been shown to be effective.

To experience these benefits, simply eat a few cloves of raw garlic with a glass of water in the morning. “Allicin gets diluted when cooked, so the ideal way to ingest garlic is to eat it raw and on an empty stomach,” says Dr Prasad.

The water-soluble compounds in garlic only remain in your body for 2-3 days, but the fat-soluble compounds in garlic may remain in your body for multiple weeks.

Share on Pinterest A garlic allergy may cause symptoms such as stomach cramping and vomiting. An allergy occurs when the body comes into contact with a foreign substance and overreacts, releasing inflammatory immune cells. These reactions can range from mild to severe.

1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 g/kg body weight/day of garlic showed significant (P<0.001) deterioration in liver function tests (LFT's) after 21, 14 and 7 days respectively. A 1.0 g/kg body weight/day dose of garlic was associated with marked histological damage in liver after 21 days.

Cooking garlic before eating it may also help prevent side effects like garlic breath, digestive issues, and acid reflux ( 11 ).

If you have a food intolerance to garlic, your doctor may recommend that you stop eating it. They may also suggest medications, such as over-the-counter antacids, to help with your symptoms.

Also, having a large amount of garlic at once may give you a burning sensation inside the mouth, heartburn, gases, and loose bowel movements. Raw garlic has anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antibacterial, and anticancer properties.

Science Of Stink: Blame Sulfur Compounds For Your Garlic Breath : The Salt A sulfur compound in garlic can linger in the body for up to two days, stinking up your breath, sweat and pee. Milk, parsley or citrus might help break it down more quickly or mask the stench.