Garlic

Parts Usually Used

Bulb

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Garlic is a perennial plant; the bulb is compound, consisting of individual bulbs, or cloves, enclosed together in a white skin. The stem is simple, smooth, and round and is surrounded at the bottom by tubular leaf sheaths from which grow the long, flat linear leaves. The leafless stem is topped by a rounded umbel of small, white, usually sterile flowers, among which grow 20-30 small bulbils.

The entire umbel is at first enclosed in a teardrop-shaped leaf (pointing upward) which eventually falls off. Other varieties: Bear’s garlic (Allium ursinum) used much like regular garlic; Serpent garlic (A. sativum var. ophioscorodon) cloves are milder flavored; Elephant garlic (A. ampeloprasum) also called wild leek, great-headed garlic, and Levant garlic; Round-headed garlic (A.

sphaerocephalicon) has large rounded heads; the Shoshone name, “Padzimo” is given to a garlic plant (A. falcifolium) that grows in the high mountains on dry rocky plains as a dwarf pink garlic. It has blue-green sickle-shaped leaves, flat, and a pretty flower. The bulb is also a deep pink color and is very strong in taste.

Where Found

Widely cultivated as one of the most common kitchen herbs. Occasionally found growing wild. Found along roadsides and fields from New York to Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri.

Medicinal Properties

Alterative, anthelmintic, antispasmodic, carminative, cholagogue, digestive, expectorant, febrifuge, antiviral, antibiotic, antiseptic, stimulant

Biochemical Information

Unsaturated aldehydes, allicin, allyl disulfides, calcium, copper, germanium, iron, magnesium, manganese, volatile oils, phosphorus, phytoncides, potassium, selenium, sulfur, vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, and zinc.

Legends, Myths and Stories

In ancient times, the Chinese, Romans, Egyptians, Hindus, and Babylonians all believed that garlic cured intestinal orders, infections of the respiratory system, relieved flatulence, treated skin diseases, wounds, worms and delayed the signs of aging. Garlic is even mentioned in the Calendar of the Hsia, a book of 2,000 years before Christ. It is called Hsiao-suan to distinguish it from Allium scorodoprasum which is called Ta-suan.

The odor of garlic is so powerful and penetrating that if applied to the feet, its scent is in the breath and when garlic is eaten, it is communicated through the pores of the skin, even to the fingers. It may be detected in the flesh of animals that have eaten garlic; or even in the eggs of fowls that have eaten it. In Egypt several thousand years before Christ, garlic was given to laborers.

The Bible records that the Israelites who lived in Egypt at the time of Moses also ate garlic before their exodus out of that country. The Romans gave garlic to their laborers; and their soldiers ate it in the belief that it inspired courage. Thus it was dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war. “When Satan stepped out from the Garden of Eden after the fall of man, Garlick sprang up from the spot where he placed his left foot, and Onion from that where his right foot touched”.

Such is the legend some herbalists attributed to the Mohammedans. Since the ancients believed that many diseases were the result of evil spells, garlic with its effective medicinal qualities was thought to possess magical power against evil; thus it was used in many charms and countercharms. In Greek legend, Odysseus used moly, a mild garlic, as a charm to keep the sorceress Circe from turning him into a pig.

In the Middle Ages, garlic was considered strong against the evil eye, witches, and demons. Another tradition still held in rural New Mexico is the use of garlic as a charm to help a young girl rid herself of an unwanted boyfriend. She first puts a piece of garlic and two crossed pins in a spot where two roads intersect, and then she must get the boy to walk over the charm without noticing it.

If the task is accomplished successfully, the boy will miraculously lose all interest in her. During the time of the Pharoahs, when Egypt was at its peak of power, garlic was given to the laborers and slaves. The common people had garlic included in the diet to help protect them from disease. The Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical papyrus dated sometime around 1500 BC, mentions garlic 22 times as a remedy for a variety of diseases.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used garlic as a laxative, a diuretic, for tumors of the uterus, leprosy, epilepsy, chest pains, toothaches, and for wounds incurred during battle. Aristotle also mentions the value of garlic and Aristophanes used garlic as a treatment for impotence. The yogis used garlic as a medicine, but did not recommend it as a food or spice because of its irritating properties.

The juice of garlic is said by the old-timers to be the best and strongest cement that can be adopted for broken glass and china, leaving little or no mark, if used with care. In the 1950’s, Dr. Albert Schweitzer used garlic to treat cholera, typhus, and amebic dysentery while he was working in Africa as a missionary. ” During the Great Plague epidemic, some herbalists avoided the deadly disease by eating large amounts of garlic and wearing garlic strands around their necks.

To date, it has not been determined whether the garlic’s antibiotic properties protected these people against the plague, or whether the foul stench of the herb discouraged others from getting close enough to spread their infection. Since 1979, Gilroy, California, known as the “Garlic Capital of the World,” has hosted the Annual Garlic Festival in celebration of the annual garlic harvest.

Held the last weekend of July each year, the event is a 3 day gourmet food and wine tasting party drawing more than 140,000 garlic fans. 90% of the United States garlic crop is grown in Gilroy and its environs. ”

Uses

Historical herbalists viewed garlic as a broad-spectrum remedy and internal cleanser, believing it could promote perspiration, strengthen blood vessels, and lower blood pressure. Traditional practitioners employed it in attempts to manage circulatory problems, arteriosclerosis, heart disorders, and elevated cholesterol, recommending that it be eaten raw for the latter. It was also historically administered for respiratory and seasonal complaints such as asthma, bronchitis, colds, flu, sinusitis, and fevers, as well as for headaches, toothaches, and earaches.

Folk medicine utilized garlic for an array of digestive and internal ailments, including constipation, diarrhea, dysentery, gastritis, ulcers, liver disease, jaundice, diabetes, hemorrhoids, and edema. It was further associated with traditional remedies for arthritis, rheumatism, insomnia, and impotence, and was historically applied against venom, spider bites, and poisons. Herbal traditions utilized internal preparations, including enemas and oil pastes, to expel intestinal worms, while external oil blends were applied to address skin parasites.

Topically, traditional practitioners applied garlic to sores, bruises, falling hair, and wounds. Historical texts also noted its distinct odor, observing folk remedies such as eating fresh parsley or baked beetroot to counteract its breath-tainting effects. Outside of medicinal practices, traditional gardeners planted garlic cloves near crops, fruit trees, and berry canes as a companion plant to deter aphids and Japanese beetles.

How Sold

Odorless tablets Garlic powder Garlic salt Fresh in the grocery

Bibliography

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RW240, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023, copyright 1994