Allium Sativum and Mental Health: A Scoping Review

This project was a scoping review where we set out to map and summarize all the research that has looked at whether garlic (Allium sativum) and its chemical components affect mental health outcomes like anxiety, depression, stress, and related behaviours. We searched for and included human experimental and observational studies as well as animal studies that examined garlic intake or supplementation and any mental health outcome, then we extracted and charted the data to see what evidence exists. We found 31 relevant studies — most of the small human trials suggested some positive signals for mental health, though many combined garlic with other interventions, and animal studies pointed toward biological mechanisms such as effects on inflammation and oxidative stress. Overall, we concluded that while initial findings are interesting, the evidence base is limited and more high-quality human trials are needed to clarify whether garlic truly benefits mental health. This paper was published in 2026.

Aucoin M, Eedy V, Al Osh H, Duri R, Sze A, LaChance L, Goldenberg JZ. Allium sativum and mental health: A scoping review. Nutritional Psychiatry, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nupsyc.2025.100004.