Studies now confirm garlic really is the "wonder" food. The Department of Agriculture says the plant tops its vegetable list with the highest percentage of antioxidants. But garlic's not alone. Science Specialist Ed Yeates is here to tell us about some other foods that are effect home remedies. Ed, does it also work to ward off vampires?

It appears the old legend about how it could ward off vampires is about the ONLY thing that is NOT true about this plant. Everything else is holding up.

BYU researchers have studied garlic for a long time and new evidence shows even more promise. Here's the running tally so far. It inhibits or kills bacteria and some viruses and parasites. It lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, and enhances the immune system. And the latest shows garlic has one of the highest percentages of antioxidants. BYU Microbiologist Dr Byron Murray says it may also interfere with a gene involved in the triggering of cancer.

((DR BYRON MURRAY, BYU MICROBIOLOGY: "IF THAT PROTEIN THAT CAUSES CANCER DOESN'T GET LOCATED TO A SPECIFIC SITE IN THE CELL, THEN IT'S NOT ACTIVE, NOT INVOLVED IN CANCER AND IT INHIBITS IT. GARLIC COMPOUND HAS THE ABILITY TO INHIBIT THAT VERY EFFECTIVELY."))

BYU and others are looking at many foods. Recent studies show men who eat a lot of tomatoes may lower their probability of developing prostate cancer. Broccoli is high in antioxidants which can prevent cells from turning cancerous, but?

(("IF YOU BOIL IT, IT'S ALMOST ALL GONE. IF YOU MICROWAVE IT, YOU LOSE SOME. BUT IF YOU STEAM IT A LITTLE BIT OR EAT IT RAW, THEN MOST THE CHEMO PREVENTING COMPOUND IS STILL THERE."))

And these non-smelling garlic pills made by different manufacturers range in potency from zero to 100 percent because some don't know for sure how to capsulize the most beneficial components.

((DR JEANETTE ROBERTS, U OF U MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY: "IF THESE EXPERTS QUOTE, UNQUOTE, CAN'T EVEN AGREE WHAT THE BENEFICIAL COMPONENTS OF THESE THINGS ARE - HOW IS THE GENERAL PUBLIC SUPPOSED TO MAKE THESE JUDGEMENTS."))

U of U medicinal chemist Dr Jeanette Roberts says a lot of research now is going into the four "G's", garlic, ginger, ginseng and ginko. Garlic again, she says, is a clear winner. Early research shows ginger might prove effective in reducing morning sickness in pregnant women.

(("THESE STUDIES ARE SHOWING A VERY POWERFUL ACTIVITY IN REDUCING NAUSEA AND VOMITTING."))

Ginseng helps the body use oxygen and glucose more effectively, but again a warning. It's a steroid and too much can produce dangerous hormonal imbalances. New research confirms German studies - that Ginko increases blood flow to the brain and may reduce memory loss in the elderly, but again a warning!

(("THESE EFFECTS ARE BEING SUBSTANTIATED SCIENTIFICALLY, BUT THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHERE THE MARKETING IS FAR AHEAD OF THE SCIENCE."))

An American Indian remedy for bacterial infections - Echinacea (eck-o-nasia) works well. Cranberry fruit still clears up urinary infections. Cayenne still reduces the pain of arthritis. And St John's Wort may help treat MILD depression.

But as Dr. Roberts cautions, some manufactures are still going too far, claiming their products will do a LOT more than what these early studies confirm.