Garlic appears to offer the greatest health benefits (if they exist) when it has been allowed to sit for 10 to 15 minutes after being pressed or crushed. During this time, sulfur-containing compounds are produced. Ideally, garlic is then consumed as a raw flavoring on food. Some experts even recommend that garlic cloves be chewed raw for maximum effect.

However, other experts warn that eating too much raw garlic can cause stomach upset or heartburn. Therefore, lightly cooking the garlic after it has sat for a while may be the best strategy. Too much heat should be avoided, because it can destroy one of garlic’s most important ingredients: allicin. This may help to explain why raw and cooked garlic have such different effects on health, and may explain why research results have been so different from one another.