Pharmacological effects of allium species grown in iraq. An overview

Four species of the genus Allium belong to the Alliaceae family were grown in Iraq, these included Allium sativum, Allium cepa, Allium porrum and Allium schoenoprasum. They were considered as edible vegetables with low toxicity. They possessed many pharmacological effects including antimicrobial effects (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoal and anthelmentics), anticancer effects, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, antioxidant, detoxification, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, endocrine and many other pharmacological effects. The chemical analysis of Allium species showed that they contained volatile and essential oils, monosulphides , disulphides, oxygen compounds, thiophene derivatives, trisulphides, thiols, tetrasulphide, flavonoids, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.