I'm afraid you're right...

From everything I've ever read on the subject, yes, the same sulfur containing compounds in garlic that cause its distinctive odor are *also* responsible for its healthful benefits. That's why I've always steered away from all the odorless supplements on the market, even though they were the bestsellers in the store where I worked. It just seemed like a waste of money to me after reading that.

Of course, the *best* way to consume garlic is the way Mother Nature intended all along -- by eating it. Some studies have shown that the active compounds become more active if you chop it up and allow it to sit for a few minutes before eating it. There seem to be mixed opinions on the cooking aspect though. Since most of the beneficial compounds are found in the oil, and heat causes any oil to start breaking down and become rancid, some people say it's best to always eat your garlic raw. I always try to do both. I'll have a clove of raw garlic chopped up in a salad a few times a week, and I also mix it in with things like spaghetti sauce, soups and chili while they're cooking.

You may find this hard to believe, but I also take raw garlic oil in pill form every day as well, in very large amounts. I take a 5,000 mg softgel three times a day to help combat my candida yeast overgrowth. (It's the only antifungal compound that candida never develops a resistance to in the petri dish.)

When I first started taking it in large amounts like that, people were always holding their noses and saying they could smell it very strongly on me. (One friend started sniffing the air one time, asking if there was an Italian restaurant somewhere nearby...!) If it would help with my health problems though, I didn't really care what it made me smell like.

I didn't really care for the smell or taste of it at first (because candida actually reprograms your taste buds to aid with its survival), but the taste of garlic has really grown on me over the years and I love it now. And now, after all this time, nobody ever comments about me smelling like it anymore. I don't know where it's going now, but it doesn't seem to be coming out of my skin or on my breath anymore.

I guess the reason I'm such a strong advocate of garlic is because it's just so good for so many different things. Besides killing fungus, it's also antimicrobial so I always eat extra during a cold. It's also good for keeping cholesterol and blood pressure down, and it helps to strengthen the immune system too. It truly is one of nature's most perfect foods.

And besides all that, it'll also help keep the vampires away too! ;-)