Q: I eat raw garlic everyday. Is this safe? Or should I take cooked garlic?

A:Garlic has long been considered a herbal wonder drug, for preventing everything from common cold and flu to being used extensively in herbal medicine. Raw garlic is can be used to treat the symptoms of acne and it helps in managing high cholesterol levels. Garlic - especially aged garlic - can have a powerful antioxidant effect. Antioxidants help to protect the body against damaging free radicals . Garlic has an excellent safety record with no record of toxicity. However, raw garlic is very strong, so eating too much could produce problems, for example irritation of or even damage to the digestive tract. Garlic contains blood thinning properties, and therefore should be used with a physicians direction when taking antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs, and it should be avoided by individuals with haemophilia. Garlic could potentially disrupt anti-coagulants, so its best avoided before surgery. As with any medicine, always check with your doctor first and tell your doctor if you are using it.