Abstract
Garlic is a popular herbal alternative therapy. Adverse effects of garlic that have been reported with oral ingestion, inhalation, and topical exposure include smelly breath, body odor, flatulence, esopha-geal and abdominal pain, small intestinal obstruction, contact dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma, bleeding, myocardial infarction, urticaria, angioedema, anaphylaxis, skin blisters, and ulcero-necrotic lesions. Causality of garlic for specific adverse effects is best established for smelly breath, body odor, and allergic reactions; data regarding other adverse effects are primarily based on case reports. The frequency of adverse effects of garlic and whether they vary by particular preparations are not established.
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