Journal abstract below. Mice were tested instead of humans. Sounds like it would take lots and lots of garlic to work. Highly doubtful that garlic alone can get rid of babesia, but it definitely seems worth adding to existing treatment.
Inhibitory effect of allicin on the growth of Babesia and Theileria equi parasites.
Salama AA, Aboulaila M, Terkawi MA, Mousa A, El-Sify A, Allaam M, Zaghawa A, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I.
Source
National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
Abstract
Allicin is an active ingredient of garlic that has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiprotozoal activity. However, the inhibitory effects of allicin on Babesia parasites have not yet been examined.
In the present study, allicin was tested as a potent inhibitor against the in vitro growth of bovine and equine Babesia parasites and the in vivo growth of Babesia microti in a mouse model.
The in vitro growth of Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Babesia caballi, or Theileria equi was inhibited by allicin in a dose-dependent manner and had IC50 values of 818, 675, 470, and 742 μM, respectively.
Moreover, allicin significantly inhibited (P less than 0.001) invasion of B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. caballi, and T. equi into the host erythrocyte. Furthermore, mice treated with 30 mg/kg of allicin for 5 days significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced the parasitemia of B. microti over the period of the study.
To further examine the potential synergism of allicin with diminazene aceturate, growth inhibitory assays were performed in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, combinations of diminazene aceturate with allicin synergistically potentiated its inhibitory effects in vitro and in vivo.
These results indicate that allicin might be beneficial for the treatment of babesiosis, particularly when used in combination with diminazene aceturate.
PMID: 24173810 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
What is the diminazine aceturate?
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Greta that is a veterinary medicine -- don't think it is approved for human use.
Bea Seibert
Posted by VV (Member # 38828) on :
I wonder what the human dose equivalents would be.
Posted by jellybean (Member # 16575) on :
I just had an interesting reaction after taking 1 capsule of wild bear garlic (marco labs). I got flushed in the same way I have when taking artemisinin or cryptolepsis plus or any number of pharmaceuticals that treat babesia. In the past I've taken liquid allicin but it was a long time ago and haven't taken any garlic in a while. This specific kind of garlic was recommended to help my kidney function of all things. Anyway, I'll post back later if I come to any hard conclusions about this but I have to say I found today's reaction very interesting.