Why is fresh garlic better?
“Freshly crushed garlic generates hydrogen sulfide, a gas that is also generated from rotten egg,” says study coauthor Dipak K. Das, PhD, ScD, a professor and director at the Cardiovascular Research Center. “Although this gas in excess may become poisonous, in small quantities it functions as an intracellular signaling compound and can protect the heart.” Because the hydrogen sulfide is a short-lived gas, it disappears when garlic is dried, processed, or cooked, he adds. Dried or processed garlic does retain its antioxidant effects, however, and helps protect against free radical damage—but not to the extent that fresh garlic does.
