Once the leaves are harvested, they are processed quickly. They are cleaned, washed, dried, and milled under low temperatures. During this processing, adenosine levels are monitored to guarantee at least 1,100 mg/kg. (For other guaranteed nutrient levels, see table).

A. ursinum was known to the early Celts and to the ancient Romans, who considered it a cleansing plant. The Greek physician Dioscorides also attributed a detoxifying effect to the plant. In the Middle Ages, A. ursinum was known and thoroughly described. H. Bock provided drawings of the plant in his Kreutterbuch in 1565, and in 1564, Lonicerus judged wild garlic to be superior to regular garlic. A. ursinum was used routinely in central Europe for health until the end of the nineteenth century and was also eaten as a vegetable in salads.

A. ursinum has all the benefits of the A. sativum products that are found on the market. However, A. ursinum has three advantages over this domesticated garlic: 1) It has more of the active substances; 2) It has active substances not found in cultivated garlic, or found only when large quantities are taken; 3) It is odorless. A. ursinum contains allicin and its related forms, as well as more ajoene (a degraded form of allicin) and its related forms, more y-glutamyl peptides (GLUT), and more than 20 times as much adenosine.

Current opinion states that the y-glutamyl peptides and ajoene result in an increase in the difference across the membrane of the vascular smooth muscle. This in turn results in a widening of blood vessels, which may affect blood pressure. y-glutamyl peptides have been demonstrated to inhibit the actions of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), an enzyme released from the kidneys which regulates blood pressure.

Adenosine helps increase blood vessel width and can also reduce platelet aggregation (blood stickiness). Adenosine acts as a muscle relaxant and as a protectant against poisons, such as caffeine.

The sulfur compound allicin has traditionally been credited for garlic's beneficial effects. However, this may not entirely be the case. Allicin is no doubt partially responsible for garlic's benefits. But many other substances may act individually or synergistically to produce benefits.

The allicin balloon is further deflated by comments found in John Heinerman's The Healing Benefits of Garlic. He cites the sulfur compounds (such as allicin), but also adenosine, as having beneficial effects. He mentions that allicin is extremely unstable and may not be what it is thought to be: "… don't be persuaded that just because a particular garlic product claims it contains significant amounts of allicin, this makes it superior to others without it."