Researchers in the United Kingdom are studying how they can cure tree diseases with injections of garlic. Garlic has an antibacterial and antifungal compound called allicin, and although individual treatment on a large scale is impractical, the method could be used to save some rare species, or valuable specimens.

Researchers in the United Kingdom are studying how they can cure tree diseases with injections of garlic.

Garlic has an antibacterial and antifungal compound called allicin, and although individual treatment on a large scale is impractical, the method could be used to save some rare species, or valuable specimens.

Tree consultant Jonathan Cocking who is working on the garlic injection project is quoted as saying: "Over the last four years we have treated 60 trees suffering badly with bleeding canker of horse chestnut. All of the trees were cured."

Most of the research has taken place at a forest estate in Northamptonshire, but out of 350 trees that were treated in other parts of the country, 95 percent of garlic injections have also been successful.

The garlic solution is injected directly into the tree for its sap system to distribute it through-out the branches and leaves.

In nature, allicin is only active for about five to ten minutes, but a company in Wales has figured out how to make it stable for the duration of up to one year.

According to Mr. Cocking if a leaf is picked from a tree that has been injected a day earlier, the garlic aroma is evident.