Wild garlic

In spring, wild garlic spreads like a carpet on moist shady soils in Europe and northern Asia. The leaves of the wild plant are eaten raw as a fresh spice, as a pesto or as a vegetable. The typical garlic smell has led to the name forest garlic. Botanically, wild garlic (Allium ursinum) belongs to the allium family (Allioideae) and is closely related to chives, onions and garlic. In some regions, wild garlic is also called wild leek. In English, the synonyms "wild garlic" and "ramson" are commonly used. The garlic-like odor and taste, which is produced especially when the leaves are crushed, is due to the presence of sulfur-containing gamma-glutamyl peptides. These include the cysteine sulfoxides alliin, methiin, and isoalliin, as well as the unstable thiosulfates allicin and methylallyl thiosulfate and the resulting ajoenes.(1) Furthermore, special phenols such as kaempferol derivatives and flavonoid glycosides have been identified in bear's garlic.(2) These have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in particular. The high adenosine content(1) proves to be another special feature of wild garlic, which may be of importance for its therapeutic use.

Gamma-glutamyl peptides and adenosine play an essential role in the blood pressure lowering effect. On the one hand, these compounds induce a hyperpolarization of the cell membranes in the vascular smooth muscle, which leads to vasodilation and thus to a reduction in blood pressure. On the other hand, an ACE inhibitory effect has been described for some substances contained in wild garlic, for example gamma-glutamyl-S-allyl-cysteine.(4)(5) ACE inhibition, i.e. blocking the conversion of angiotensin I into vasoconstrictor angiotensin II, is the basic pharmacological principle of drug treatment of hypertension. In spontaneously elevated blood pressure values, but also in genetically induced hypertension, the systolic value decreased significantly after the administration of standardized wild garlic preparations in animal experiments.(5) In pulmonary hypertension, wild garlic preparations even achieved positive effects similar to those of the drug sildenafil, which is used, among other things, to lower pulmonary vascular resistance.(6)
 

Wild garlic is shown to be an effective plant in primary prevention for cardiovascular events due to its demonstrated reduction of elevated blood pressure,(5) beneficial effects on blood glucose and cholesterol levels (7) and effects against adverse platelet aggregation (2) and stimulation of NO synthesis (3). These effects can be attributed, in part, to adenosine, which is present in wild garlic. Adenosine plays a role as a neuromodulator in the regulation of vascular tone and the maintenance of endothelial integrity. The nucleoside increases the level of the second messenger molecule cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate), which is involved in vasodilation. Also, adenosine protects the endothelial cell from oxidative injury and may prevent ischemic reperfusion injury (7).
 

Wild garlic significantly reduces the total cholesterol reading total and at the same time tends to increase the HDL level. The effects were demonstrated in vitro(8) and in animal experiments (3). Pharmacological studies demonstrate an inhibitory effect of wild garlic on 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenases, which are involved in the formation of inflammatory mediators.(8) The ability of the sulfur-containing ingredients to stimulate phase 2 detoxification enzymes (10) may explain, among other things, the anticarcinogenic properties of wild garlic.

(1) Sobolewska, D. et al. 2015. Allium ursinum: botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological overview. Phytochem Rev. 14(1):81–97.
(2) Carotenuto, A. et al. 1996. The flavonoids of Allium ursinum. Phytochemistry. 41(2):531–6.
(3) Preuss, H. G. et al. 2001. Wild garlic has a greater effect than regular garlic on blood pressure and blood chemistries of rats. Int Urol Nephrol. 32(4):525–30.
(4) Shouk, R. et al. 2014. Mechanisms underlying the antihypertensive effects of garlic bioactives. Nutr Res. 34(2):106–15.
(5) Mohamadi, A. et al. 2000. Effects of wild versus cultivated garlic on blood pressure and other parameters in hypertensive rats. Heart Dis. 2(1):3–9.
(6) Bombicz, M. et al. 2017. A Novel Therapeu­tic Approach in the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Allium ursinum Liophylisate Alleviates Symptoms Comparably to Sildenafil. Int J Mol Sci. 18(7):1436.
(7) Rankovic, M. et al. 2021. New Insight Into the Cardioprotective Effects of Allium ursinum L. Extract Against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury. Front Physiol. 12:690696.
(8) Sendl, A. et al. 1992. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in vitro by extracts and isolated compounds prepared from garlic and wild garlic. Atherosclerosis. 94(1):79–85.