Silliker Receives NIH/NCCAM Grant

HOMEWOOD, IL-Silliker, Inc. has received a grant to study the allicin bioavailability of garlic products, the company announced on November 24.

Allicin is the main, active compound of garlic that is known to provide the most health benefits.

The $599,500 award was been granted by the National Institute of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NIH/NCCAM; Bethesda, MD), and will cover a minimum two-year period.

Most garlic supplements have allicin levels of about 3-15 percent, compared to 100 percent in raw garlic. Without clinical research, however, it is difficult to make advancements in the field.

The conclusions of the study, Silliker stated, will address three main goals:

“1) An understanding of what type of supplements should be used in a clinical trial and in what form it should be consumed.

2) How results can be extrapolated to crushed raw garlic.

3) Provide supplement manufacturers with a correct standard for the design and evaluation of garlic supplements."

This is the third grant Silliker has received from NIH and NCCAM.