Garlic
Allium sativum
This spice is a perennial herb whose bulb, composed of small cloves, is
readily identifiable by its peculiar odor. The odor, of course, is due to the
many different sulphur compounds present inside each clove. Due to the
large concentration of this particularly smelly mineral, garlic has been
referred to at various times throughout history as "an herb that only the
Prince of Hell himself could enjoy the aroma of full time with nary a complaint."
Garlic usually grows to a height of about 2 feet and has flat, long, pointed
leaves. Garlic flowers in mid-summer and the colors range from pink to white; the flowers are quite edible.
Many varieties and cultivars of garlic exist. Some of the large, white-skinned
types are referred to as American or California garlic; early and late
cultivars are available. The many varieties with pink- or purple-skinned
bulbs may be called Chilean, Creole, Mexican or Italian. Garlic grows well
all over the continental United States, although it seems to do best in dry,
mild regions. In northern climates garlic doesn't develop as large a bulb
because of the shorter growing season. Elephant garlic (A. ampeloprasum)
is a garlic relative whose prodigious heads of 4 to 6 cloves can reach the
size of an orange.
Rocambole (A. sativun var. ophioscorodon) is another type of garlic
sometimes seen in the gardens of garlic aficionados. It goes by other names
such as Italian or French garlic and looks somewhat dramatic, with many
flat leaves like those of garlic chives (A. tuberosum) appearing in spring
and looped flower stalks in summer. The "flower" head of this particular
garlic opens to reveal a cluster of bulbils instead of flowers. All parts of
rocambole are edible and these bulbs are harvested just like those of
regular garlic. According to some who have grown it, French or Italian garlic
is well worth growing for different reasons. For one thing, the bulbs seem
to keep very well; for another, the cloves peel a lot easier; and finally the
flavor is quite good. Rocambole is available from some mail-order seed
houses but is seldom offered at nurseries.
Garlic is an effective remedy against
bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic
infections. Raw garlic when
crushed releases allicin, which has been shown to be more powerfully antibiotic
than penicillin and tetracycline. Garlic can be used for sore throats,
colds,
flu, bronchial and lung infections, infections in the gut and to help
re-establish beneficial bacterial population after an infection or orthodox
antibiotic treatment. Garlic is an effective remedy
for worms as well as for candidiasis,
and thrush in the mouth or vagina
when used locally. Garlic improves digestion, relieves wind and distension,
enhances absorption and assimilation of food. Garlic also
enhances the production of insulin
by the pancreas, making it an excellent remedy to lower blood sugar in diabetics.
Garlic acts as a decongestant. Garlic is an excellent expectorant remedy for
acute and chronic bronchitis,
whooping cough and bronchial
asthma, as well as
sinusitis, chronic catarrh,
hay fever and rhinitis. By causing sweating garlic
helps resolve fevers. Garlic can significantly lower blood
cholesterol. Garlic
also reduces blood pressure and a tendency to clotting, thereby helping to
prevent heart attacks and
strokes. Garlic opens up the
blood vessels, increasing the flow of
blood to the tissues, increasing the
circulation, relieving cramps and
circulatory disorders. Recent
research has shown that garlic acts
as a powerful antioxidant and its sulphur compounds have antitumour activities, while it is also
said to protect the body against the
effects of pollution and nicotine.
The volatile oil, which produces
garlic's distinctive odor, contains
allicin, which has been proved to
have an antibiotic effect on
staphylococcus aureus, among other
bacterial infections affecting the
body. It has also been effective
against candida albicans. The allicin
has in addition been shown to have
a hypoglycemic effect, reducing
blood sugar levels. Further, it has
demonstrated an anti-thrombotic
action, reducing blood clotting, as
well as lowering blood pressure and
reducing cholesterol.
Other names
- Clove Garlic
- Da Suan
- Poor-man's-treacle
- Rashona
- Rustic's Treacle
- Stinking Rose
- Tricolor Garlic
Parts used
Cloves.
Uses
Traditional remedy - Garlic has always been esteemed for its healing
powers and before the development of antibiotics it was a treatment for all
manner of infections, from tuberculosis to typhoid. Garlic was also used to dress
wounds in the First World War.
Bronchial infections - Garlic is
an excellent remedy for all types of chest infections. Garlic is good for
colds, flu, and ear infections,
and it helps to reduce mucus.
Digestive tract - Digestive
infections respond well to garlic.
The herb can also rid the body
of intestinal parasites.
Circulatory remedy - Garlic prevents
circulatory problems and strokes by
keeping the blood thin. Garlic lowers cholesterol
levels and blood pressure.
Other medical uses - Garlic is used for infections, and may be taken
with conventional antibiotics to
support their action and ward
off side effects. Also, garlic
reduces blood sugar levels and
can help in late-onset diabetes.
Use garlic, fresh, dried, or powdered-fresh is best-to enhance the flavor of seafood,
poultry, pasta, meat dishes, stews, casseroles, vegetables, and soups, and to add zest to salads
and salad dressings. Garlic is the essential ingredient in ailloli, the hearty, thick French
mayonnaise made with eggs, olive oil, and crushed garlic.
Use a garlic press or mortar and pestle to crush fresh cloves or hit the cloves sharply with
the flat end of a knife blade. Just how much garlic to add to a recipe is always
contentious-use sparingly until you've established the garlic tolerance zone of the diners.
Steam or bake whole cloves. Garlic's flavor becomes milder with cooking; however, burnt
garlic just tastes bitter. When frying garlic, make sure the oil is not too hot, as the garlic
will develop an acrid taste.
Prevent the skin of fresh garlic from sticking to your fingers when you're peeling it by
dropping the cloves in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove, drain, cool, and peel.
Garlic salt is widely used commercially to flavor foods. It's also a popular standby in home
kitchens, although its high sodium content makes it an unwise flavoring choice in healthy heart cooking.
Garlic is also used to treat gardnerella and nonspecific vaginitis, triglycerides (TGs), and xanthomatosis.
Habitat & cultivation
Originally from central Asia, garlic is now grown worldwide.
Garlic does best in rich, well-drained, highly organic soils, although it will grow in a wide
range of soils. Tolerated pH range is 5.5 to 8.5.
Prefers full sun, but will grow in partial shade. Avoid over watering or the bulbs will rot.
As garden garlic does not produce seeds, grow it from cloves or bulbils, which are available
from nurseries and through garden catalogs.
Cloves can be planted in early spring or late fall; however, fall plantings produce the best
yields, as garlic needs a rather long growing season (at least 4 months). If you plant in late
September or October, you can expect to see tops showing above the soil by November,
and the plants will be well rooted. Cloves or young plants are dormant over the winter,
resuming growth when the snow melts in the spring. During dormancy, cloves or young
plants need exposure to cold temperatures between 0° C and 10° C (32°F and 50°F) for
4 to 8 weeks in order to form new bulbs. Increasing daylight in the spring not only helps
break the plant's dormancy, but also stimulates bulbing.
Plant cloves, with the pointed end up, 5 cm (2 inches) below the soil's surface.
Plant cloves at least 8 cm (3 inches) deep.) Cloves
need space, so leave an area about 15 cm (6 inches) around each one.
As garlic is shallow-rooted, do not cultivate too deeply or you will damage the roots and
retard the plant's growth.
Cut back the flowering stalks in midsummer to help channel the plant's energy into the
developing bulbs.
Generally pest- and disease-free.
In the northernmost range, especially where snow cover
is limited, mulch the cloves or young plants over the winter.
Garlic can be grown in containers if there is a suitable cold storage area, such as
an unheated garage or garden shed, for the winter months. Be sure the soil is
moist at freeze-up, and check it again during mid-winter thaws. Bring the
containers out of storage in late March and soon green spears will be poking up. In
warm regions the cold storage arrangement isn't necessary and containers can be
left outside over winter.
Research
Antibiotic - Garlic has been
researched in Germany, Japan,
and the US from the 1980s
onward, but authorities still
disagree on how it achieves its
remarkable antibiotic action.
When the fresh clove is crushed,
alliin is broken down by
alliinase into allicin. Allicin and
other constituents of the volatile
oil are highly antiseptic and
antibiotic, explaining why garlic
is effective even in severe
infections such as dysentery.
Blood pressure - Clinical trials
in the 1980s have confirmed that
garlic reduces blood lipid (fat)
levels and lowers blood pressure
Constituents
Garlic contains volatile oil with sulphur containing compounds (notably allicin, alliin and ajoene);
enzymes,
B vitamins, minerals, flavonoids.
How much to take
Some people chew one whole clove of raw garlic per
day. For those who prefer it, odor-controlled,
enteric-coated tablets or capsules with standardized allicin potential can be taken at 400-500 mg once or
twice per day (providing up to 5,000 mcg of allicin).
Alternatively, a tincture of 2-4 ml can be taken three times daily.
Side effects
Most people enjoy garlic.
Some people may experience dermatitis from garlic dust.
Garlic consumption reduces blood-clotting time, which can cause medical problems for
people taking aspirin or other anticoagulant medications.
If you are diabetic, you should be aware that if you take garlic in medicinal quantities, for
example, garlic pills, it can interfere with your insulin therapy.
If you suffer from any medical problem that requires medication, you should consult your
doctor before consuming garlic extracts.
Although garlic consumption is generally safe, some authorities have recommended against
consuming too much garlic if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Applications
- CLOVES:
- FRESH - Rub on acne, or mash and
use on warts and verrucas, or to
draw corns. Add the cloves regularly to the diet as a prophylactic
against infection, to reduce high
cholesterol levels, to improve the
quality of the cardiovascular system,
and help lower blood sugar levels.
Eat crushed cloves (3 - 6 daily in
acute conditions) for severe digestive disorders (gastroenteritis,
dysentery, worms), and infections.
- JUICE - Drink for digestive disorders
and infections, or to combat
atherosclerosis.
- MACERATION - Steep 3 - 4 garlic cloves
in water or milk overnight and drink
the liquor the next day for intestinal
parasites.
- CAPSULES - Garlic powder can be
made into capsules as an aromatic
alternative to commercial "pearls."
Clinical trials suggest that 2 g powder
in capsules daily can prevent further
heart attacks in those who have
already suffered one attack. Taking
the capsules daily can also combat
infections, including thrush.
- PEARLS - Use as an alternative to capsules. The more "deodorized" the
pearls, the less effective they are.
Collection & harvesting
Harvest garlic when the tops dry out and begin to collapse.
Pull up the mature plants with their large, multi-clove bulbs and dry them in the sun for a
week. Then trim or braid the stalks and hang the garlic "ropes" in the shade to dry further.
Store in a cool, dry, airy, dark place. Try not to keep garlic in the kitchen as the heat dries
out the bulbs. If you must have a plentiful garlic supply within easy reach while you're
cooking, keep the bulbs in a closed jar so the pungent odor doesn't penetrate nearby foods.
Garlic can keep for up to 6 months in a dry, dark location, providing the temperature is no
higher than O°C (32°F).
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