Herbs are God and nature's gifts to us. While the u se of herbs and remedies has brought excellent results for many people, garlic health benefits inc lude antibacterial and anti-septic properties and it is used extensively in treating conditions such as candida overgrowth. Garlic also functions as an excellent mosquito repellent. It has been establ ished that garlic contains antioxidants that help destroy free radicals. Free radicals when accumulat ed have the potential to create a lot of damage at the cellular level, which then results in premat ure aging. Garlic has long been considered a herbal "wonder drug", with a reputation in folklore for preventing everything from the common cold and flu . It has been used extensively in herb al medicine Garlic does indeed have scientifically-proven medicinal properties. It con tains a substance called Allicin, which has anti- bacterial properties that are equivalent to weak pe nicillin. Raw garlic is used by some to treat the symptoms of acne and there is some evidence that it can assist in managing. Garlic has been used for many years to prevent health problems including colds, flu, menstrual pain, high blood pressure, coughs, gastrointestinal problems, athero sclerosis, and bronchitis. Garlic has been proven to kill various fungal infections, viruses, bacteria, and intestinal parasites. The use of garlic in cultural and traditional settings may dif fer from concepts accepted by current Western medicine. When considering the use of herbal supple ments, consultation with a primary health care professional is advisable. Additionally, consu ltation with a practitioner trained in the uses of herbal/health supplements may be beneficial, and co ordination of treatment among all health care providers involved may be advantageous. Garlic appears to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.