ABSTRACT
Lifestyle-related malfunctions, the “diseases of affluence/civilization,” are emerging largely because of changing living pattern. Due to inflation in medical care cost, nutritionists and health-care professionals have been forced to explicate the notion of functional foods and nutraceuti-cals. Nutraceuticals are substances considered as food or components of food-imparting medicinal or health benefits encompassing prevention or management of diseases. Recent research has shown beneficial therapeutic properties of various traditional plants including garlic, ginger, green tea, black cumin, and onion. The diet-based therapies can be helpful in mitigating various lifestyle-related disparities. In this context, garlic is a powerhouse of nutraceuticals known to possess certain beneficial compounds, such as allicin, that are helpful in ameliorating numerous 236physiological threats. This chapter includes the potential applications and benefits of garlic and its bioactive moieties. The extraction technologies and conditions have also been discussed for better isolation of biologically active agents. Moreover, the prophylactic role of garlic and its major nutraceutical agent allicin against hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia have also been discussed at the end.
