Alliin> Alliinase> Allicin

As with every natural product, the actual content of alliin and alliinase will depend greatly on the seasons, soil, wind and water conditions. Accordingly, the amount of allicin produced could be little or great. The best garlic tends to come from South America.

In any garlic clove, there will be alliin present in some cells and alliinase in others. When you cut the garlic clove, then alliin reacts with the alliinase, producing allicin and its characteristic odour. Allicin is in fact not an active agent as frequently claimed and written, rather it is the parental substance of the sulphurous active agents of garlic.

The garlic problem: Garlic as dry powder

The enzyme alliinase would have to pass the gastric acid barrier in the stomach without hindrance. Alliinase cannot pass this barrier in the acidic stomach (pH 1.5–5). That means, allicin cannot be produced, since allicin is dependent on alliinase. Alliinase is deactivated by the gastric acids. Therefore, no active garlic agents can be made from allicin, so no action is possible. This concerns millions of people worldwide who take fresh garlic or dry garlic powder.

Garlic is not resistant to gastric acids.
Source: University Clinic Ulm–Gleitz, Peters–medwelt 1995.

None of this applies to Strongus, since the active garlic agents are already ready prepared in the capsule; the capsule resists the gastric acids and only starts to dissolve in the small intestine.

Careful – fresh garlic and dry powder contain adenosine. Those with low blood pressure should avoid adenosine, because it will cause their blood pressure to drop even further. That poses the question of whether they should take garlic at all. Strongus contains no adenosine.