Frequently Asked Questions

Kyolic® Aged Garlic Extract™ is an odourless garlic supplement that is subjected to a unique aging process which naturally eliminates the harsh and unstable compounds in raw garlic, converting them into more mild and beneficial compounds. This process makes the Aged Garlic Extract™ odourless and more gentle than other garlic products.

Moreover, Kyolic contains various antioxidant properties and is the only antioxidant garlic supplement available. Kyolic is also standardized with SAC (S-Allyl Cysteine), a beneficial water-soluble sulphur containing compound, which is characteristic of Aged Garlic Extract™.

Kyolic maintains the nutritional value and health benefits of the raw, organic garlic from which it is made, but is not irritating to the digestive tract tissues — avoiding the stomach upset and indigestion that may accompany raw garlic consumption.

Since the development of Kyolic more than four decades ago, Aged Garlic Extract™ has attracted the attention of the world’s most promising researchers. A wide range of research and clinical studies, confirming the superiority of Kyolic over bargain brands, have been conducted by various research institutes worldwide.

Over 100 studies on Aged Garlic Extract™ preparations have been presented at various symposiums, including the First World Congress on Garlic in 1990, Designer Food III Symposium in 1994, and published in various scientific journals. Kyolic is also covered by more than a dozen patents and patents pending worldwide.

During the aging process that Kyolic undergoes, bioconversion of odorous, harsh, and irritating compounds in raw garlic yields non-odorous, stable, safe, and effective compounds, to which many of the benefits of garlic have been attributed. There are more than 200 different compounds in garlic, many of these compounds (such as fructanes, saponins, a protein fraction, etc.) naturally have no odour. Aged Garlic Extract™ has numerous non-odorous compounds.

More than 100 scientific studies have confirmed the effectiveness of Aged Garlic Extract™ and its constituents, demonstrating nutritional support for the cardiovascular system, cancer prevention, detoxification, etc. According to the First World Congress on the Health Significance of Garlic and Garlic Constituents’ held in August 1990 in Washington, D.C. where 14 studies done on Aged Garlic Extract™ were presented:

“…untrue is the myth that if garlic or a garlic product does not have garlic odour it does not provide benefits. A major part of the data on the benefits of garlic is derived from studies of cooked garlic, pickled garlic, aged garlic, and aged garlic extract. All of them have little typical garlic odour.”

Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract™ may be ideal for nourishing the body and thereby may support the recommended therapy your health care provider advises. Some studies have suggested that Aged Garlic Extract™ and some of its constituents may reduce cholesterol, thin the blood, protect the body from oxidants, increase the activity of cells in the body which maintain general well-being during cold and flu season, protect the body from radiation exposure, and destroy tumor cells (limited evidence in animal models only).

Aged Garlic Extract™ may also increase the activity of enzymes in the liver, which function to detoxify the body from heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxins. Kyolic is not a magic bullet, will not work equally for everyone, and should be taken in conjunction with, not in place of, sound therapy recommended by your health care professional.

Kyolic may provide support for:

• Those with elevated cholesterol levels. 1,2,3
• Those with elevated blood pressure levels. 2,4
• Those who desire to maintain a healthy intestinal tract.
• Those with highly stressful lifestyles.
• Those who desire possible nutritional protection from heavy metals and chemicals.
• Those who desire to minimize the effects of radiation and chemical exposure.
• Those who desire additional nutritional support during cancer therapy.

Our garlic is grown under strictly controlled organic conditions on Wakunaga farms located in California, USA. The garlic is cultivated without herbicides or pesticides of any kind and is harvested at full maturity. Only raw garlic of the finest quality is used and more than 250 quality control checks must be passed before Kyolic is made available to the consumer.

Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract™ complies with the California Organic Foods Act of 1990.

Firstly, it is important to understand that whenever garlic is processed in any way, whether cooked, crushed, pickled, or aged, as our product is, the chemistry changes. For that reason, one form of garlic cannot be compared to or considered equal to another form. 

If you look at active ingredients, 1 gram of raw garlic contains only 50 mcg of S-allyl cysteine (SAC), but 1 gram of Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract™ contains 1,000 mcg of SAC. Thus, it takes 20 grams of raw garlic to be equivalent to 1 gram of Aged Garlic Extract™ on the basis of SAC. 

Though Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract™ is not exactly the same as raw garlic. in terms of chemical composition, it demonstrates all of the benefits of garlic without the undesirable effects such as odor problems or digestion issues often associated with the consumption of raw garlic. For these reasons, Kyolic may be gentler, more beneficial, and more desirable for supplementation purposes than raw garlic or other garlic products.

While Kyolic is composed of numerous sulfur-containing compounds, no sulfur is added to any of our products. The sulfur naturally found in Kyolic is derived directly from the aging of raw garlic. Therefore, unless you are specifically allergic to the sulfur compounds in garlic, the sulfur compounds should not be a problem for most people.

Sulfa drugs have very distinct chemistry. Those who are allergic to sulfa drugs can usually tolerate foods (such as broccoli, garlic, and onions) which contain sulfur. Usually, specific sulfur compounds cause sensitivities, not sulfur itself.

Sulfur is found in all body tissues. It is a constituent of one of the essential amino acids that the body requires to manufacture proteins for various uses. The average man is made up of 140 grams of sulfur from sulfur-containing compounds.

The capsules themselves have sulfate in them. Therefore, if you are allergic to sulfate, the liquid or tablet Kyolic formulas may be the best solution for you.

Allicin is a highly unstable, odorous compound generated when fresh raw garlic is crushed5. An enzyme, alliinase, combines with a compound called alliin in the raw garlic to generate allicin5. Topically, allicin has been shown to kill bacteria and a whole array of organisms, however, in living bodies it changes into other compounds quickly and loses much of its antimicrobial activity.

Allicin receives most of the attention in regards to garlic chemistry due to its characteristic odour. There are more than 70 different sulfur-containing compounds in garlic, which may have therapeutic value, not to mention the various non-sulfur compounds in garlic, such as saponins and fructanes, which are often neglected.

Though garlic products do not contain a significant amount of allicin, some products contain a compound (alliin) and an enzyme (alliinase), which can generate allicin when added to water, so-called “allicin potential” or “allicin yield.” However, this may be of questionable value for the following reasons:

1. Realistic conditions, such as exposure to stomach acid and intestinal fluids as would occur when one consumes a garlic product, interfere with the production of allicin, significantly decreasing the amount that can be produced.6,7
2. No clinical studies have been conducted using allicin alone.
3. Allicin is not bioavailable. No allicin was detected in the urine or blood up to 24 hours following the consumption of approximately 90,000 mcg derived from 25 g of crushed raw garlic cloves.8

1. Lau, B.H.S., Lam, F. and Wang-Cheng, R. 1987. Effects of an odor-modified garlic preparation on blood lipids. Nutr. Res. 7: 139-149.
2. Steiner, M., Kham, A.H., Holbert, D., Lin, R.I.S. 1996. A double-blind crossover study in moderately hypercholesteremic men that compared the effect of aged garlic extract and placebo administration on blood lipids. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 64: 866-870.
3. Yeh, Y.Y., Lin, R.I.S and Yeh, S.H. 1995. Cholesterol lowering effects of aged garlic extract supplementation on free-living hypocholesterolemic men consuming habitual diets. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 14(5):545. (abs. #83).
4. Nagai, K. and Matsunaka, J. Effects of Aged Garlic Extract on Blood Pressure in Rats. Yakuri To Chityo (Japanese Pharmacology and Therapeutics) 3:255-260, 1975.
5. Cavallito, C.J. and Bailey J.H. Allicin, the Antibacterial Principle of Allium sativum. I. Isolation, Physical Properties and Antibacterial Action. J. American Chem. Soc. 66:1950, 1944.
6. Freeman, F. and Kodera, Y. Garlic chemistry: stability of s-(2-propenyl)-2-propene-1-sulfinothioate (allicin) in blood, solvents, and simulated physiological fluids. J. Agric. Food Chem. 43: 2332-2338, 1995.
7. Lawson L.D. and Hughes B.G. Characterization of the Formation of Allicin and Other Thiosulfinates from Garlic. Planta Medica, 58: 345-350, 1992.
8. Lawson L,D., Ransom D.K. and Hughes B,G. lnhibition of Whole Blood Platelet-Aggregation by Compounds in Garlic Clove Extracts and Commercial Garlic Products, Thrombosis Research, 65: 141-156, 1992.