Why Rubbing Garlic On Your Feet Can Create A Garlic Taste And Smell

It may sound impossible, but rubbing crushed garlic on the soles of the feet has long been used as an experiment to demonstrate how garlic compounds interact with the body. The idea is that after some time, a person may notice a garlic-like sensation in the mouth. However, the feet do not actually have taste buds capable of detecting garlic. The phenomenon is instead linked to garlic chemistry, skin absorption and the close connection between taste and smell.

When a garlic clove is crushed, its cells are broken and a compound called alliin comes into contact with the enzyme alliinase. This reaction produces allicin, a reactive sulfur-containing compound responsible for much of the characteristic smell of freshly crushed garlic. Allicin can subsequently break down into other sulfur compounds. Some of these compounds are known to contribute to the persistent smell associated with garlic after it has been eaten.

The skin can allow certain chemicals to pass through it, although absorption depends on factors such as the chemical involved, its concentration and the condition of the skin. The soles of the feet, however, have a relatively thick outer layer of skin and are not necessarily an especially efficient route for absorption. The Tisserand Institute has discussed the garlic experiment as an example of compounds crossing the skin, while cautioning that it does not establish that large or medically significant quantities enter the bloodstream.

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There is also an important role played by the sense of smell. What people describe as "taste" is partly influenced by smell, particularly when volatile compounds reach the nose through breathing. Garlic-derived sulfur compounds can be detected in exhaled breath after garlic is consumed, but that evidence does not establish exactly what happens when crushed garlic is applied to the feet. The American Chemical Society has also highlighted the experiment as an example of the unusual chemistry associated with food.

The experiment should not be interpreted as evidence that the feet provide a significant route for delivering garlic compounds into the body. Scientific evidence showing garlic-related compounds in the breath primarily comes from consuming garlic or garlic preparations, rather than applying it to the soles. Moreover, putting raw garlic directly on the skin is not harmless. Prolonged contact with crushed or freshly cut garlic can cause significant irritation, blistering and chemical burns, with medical case reports documenting such injuries.

So, while your feet cannot literally taste garlic, the experiment has a genuine scientific basis worth exploring. Garlic produces reactive and volatile sulfur compounds when its cells are damaged, and some chemicals can interact with or cross the skin. Any garlic-like sensation noticed afterward is more plausibly related to these compounds and the way taste and smell work together than to a hidden taste mechanism in the feet.

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