Key Points
- An Australian company claims strains of garlic have "antiviral activity" against COVID-19.
- Research conducted at the Doherty Institutes has claimed to prove this to be true but it hasn't been published.
- Experts say this could be a case of dubious scientific information.
Australian-grown garlic "demonstrates 99.9 per cent efficacy against viruses that cause COVID-19 and the common flu", it was claimed earlier this week.
But scientists and medical experts have raised concerns about the efficacy of the science behind these claims.
The study has not been published and was commissioned by Australian Garlic Producers, a company that grows garlic and produces and sells a number of garlic health products.
Yet it has been widely shared by anti-vaxxers and COVID-sceptics.
Associate Professor Adam Dunn from the University of Sydney said: "This is a study that is done in vitro, which means it's not done in humans in the real world, it's done in test tubes."
He said he would be extremely wary of studies that claim products work on humans if that's not how they've been tested.
"So for example, we have no idea how much garlic is required to kill virus cells, or viruses. We have no idea whether the design of the study was transparent whether the protocol was reported online, how they reported it," he said.
The press release claimed "certain unique Australian grown garlic varieties demonstrate antiviral activity," but did not give detail on what exactly these garlic varieties are or why they may have more anti-viral properties.
A spokesperson for the Doherty Institute told SBS News its research was done under contract from Australian Garlic Producers.
"The study shows efficacy of one type of garlic against Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 [the virus that causes COVID-19] in vitro only," the spokesperson said.
"These findings do not show medical treatment application. Stringent clinical trials would need to be conducted to determine if these findings translate from test tubes to humans."
Australian Garlic Producers have been contacted for comment.
The research has been widely shared online, predominantly by COVID-19 sceptics.
A tweet from United Australia Party politician Craig Kelly referencing the garlic study. Source: Twitter
"GARLIC How stupid must the world feel today having wasted hundreds of billions of dollars on useless (vaccine emoji) and destroyed trillions of dollars of wealth with panicked lockdowns- when its now discovered that garlic kills Covid," he wrote on Twitter.
Corey Bernardi also weighed in. Source: Twitter
"Just as well we followed 'the science' by spending billions on dangerous experimental vaccines that are still destroying lives. The #COVID response was shameful State coercion, made worse by the compliance of the unthinking. #auspol #disgrace," he wrote on Twitter.
Avi Yemeni shared the story on Twitter and said "garlic is far more effective and even more safe than the clot shot."
Avi Yemini also commented. Source: Twitter
Can garlic fight COVID?
Dr Ian Musgrave, senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide, said, "until clinical trials have been done no claims can be made about the effects of these extracts for prevention and/or treatment of influenza let alone COVID-19".
"Absorption and metabolism of the active components of garlic extracts may mean that the levels of these compounds may not reach levels that are effective in the body.
"Small clinical trials of garlic preparations suggest they may reduce symptoms, but not incidence, of colds and flu."
He pointed to a small trial with a fortified garlic extract in hospitalised COVID-19 patients that showed no significant effect on the primary measures of infection recovery.
Why have anti-vaxxers latched onto the garlic study?
Professor Dunn said people who deliberately spread misinformation online try to seem authoritative, by referencing reputable news organisations or scientific institutions.
"People who are vocally vaccine critical are attempting to be persuasive because they have a point of view, and they want to get it across, same as anybody else.
"The proportion of people who are vocally anti-vaccine online or in the media make up a tiny, tiny proportion of the population and their hope is to influence people who are vaccine-hesitant, which make up a much larger proportion of population," he said.
He said it can be hard to spot COVID-19 misinformation but "if you see an appeal to authority, without discussion of the actual evidence, that's, that's a really clear signal that someone's trying to win an argument".
