Everything You Need to Know About Garlic & SIBO

By Shivan Sarna

Many people with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) are confused about garlic. It’s often listed as a food to avoid—but also mentioned as a treatment. How can that be?

Let’s clear things up.

Garlic is a high-FODMAP food, meaning it contains fermentable carbohydrates (specifically fructo-oligosaccharides) that can worsen symptoms in people with SIBO or IBS. That’s why diets like the Low FODMAP diet recommend limiting or avoiding garlic. However, tolerance varies, and some people can handle small amounts or garlic-infused oils, which lack the fermentable fiber.

Here’s the twist: while whole garlic may trigger symptoms, allicin—a sulfur compound extracted from garlic—is one of the most powerful natural antimicrobial agents used to treat SIBO. Allicin doesn’t contain the FODMAPs found in raw garlic, making it a suitable option for those who are sensitive.

Types of SIBO and Garlic’s Role:

There are three types of SIBO: hydrogen-dominant, methane-dominant, and hydrogen sulfide. Allicin is especially effective for methane-dominant SIBO, targeting methane-producing archaea.

Using Garlic Safely:

To treat SIBO, don’t use raw garlic. Instead, consider stabilized allicin supplements like Allimed, which deliver concentrated allicin without the side effects of whole garlic. Allimed can be paired with other herbal treatments like berberine, neem, or oregano oil for greater effectiveness.

Some people report no results with Allimed, but pairing it correctly or adjusting the dosage is key. SIBO treatment often requires trial and error.

Pro Tip: Keep Allimed capsules in the freezer to reduce garlic odor.

Discount Tip: Use code ALLIMEDROCKS for 20% off your order from Allimed.

Have you tried Allimed? Let us know in the comments!