Origin, Distribution and Composition
Garlic is an erect biennial herb of the onion family, normally grown as an annual. It has irregular roots, condensed, flattened stem and narrow, flat leaves. The bulb consists of 6 to 35 bulblets called cloves, enclosed in a thick whitish, glistening and transparent covering.
Garlic has been highly valued for centuries all over the world for its health-building qualities. Khnoum Khoufouf, the builder of one of the oldest pyramids, (4500 BC) was among the first to recognise the virtues of garlic, for he decreed that all his workers should take garlic every day to maintain their health and strength. Hippocrates, the father of
medicine (460-357 BC) recommended the use of this herb in infectious diseases and particularly prescribed it for intestinal disorders.
Garlic is believed to have originated in Central Asia and was known to the Chinese as far back as 3,000 BC. It continues to be one of the staple spices of the Chinese diet till today. Egyptians, Greeks and Romans also used garlic both as a staple food and as a
medicines for several ailments. It spread to all parts of the world and is now widely grown in the Mediterranean region, India, Philippines, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil and Mexico. It grows well in cool climates with dry weather.
An analysis of garlic shows it to contain moisture 62.0 per cent, protein 6.3 per cent, fat 0.1 per cent, minerals 1.0 per cent, fibre 0.8 per cent and carbohydrates 29.8 per cent per 100 grams of edible portion. Its mineral and vitamin contents are calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. It also contains traces of iodine, sulphur and chlorine. Its calorific value is 145.
The bulbs yield an essential oil containing allyl propyl disulphide, diallyl disulphide and two other sulphur compounds. They also contain antiseptic and hypotensive, or, causing low blood pressure principles—allicin, allisatin I and allisatin II.
Healing Power and Curative Properties
In herbal
medicines, garlic has been traditionally used for
asthma, deafness, leprosy, bronchial congestion, arteriosclerosis that is hardening of arteries—
fevers, worms and liver and gall bladder trouble. Garlic is good for the heart, a food for the hair, a stimulant to appetite, a strength-giving food, useful in leucoderma, leprosy, piles, worms, catarrhal disorders,
asthma and cough.
Clinical experiments in recent times have confirmed several ancient beliefs about the healing value of this herb. These experiments have in fact proven much greater power of garlic than known previously. The unpleasant odour in garlic is due to i(s sulphur content This mineral is contained to a greater degree in its volatile oil, which has remarkable medicinal virtues;
Garlic juice has a most beneficial effect on the entire system. The ethers in garlic juice are so potent and penetrating, that they help dissolve accumulation of mucus in the sinus cavities, bronchial tubes and the lungs.They help in the expulsion of poisons from body through pores of the skin.
Chest Diseases
Garlic has proved effective in certain diseases of the chest. Lt reduces foetidity or stinking of the breath in
pulmonary gangrene. Garlic is useful in the treatment of
tuberculosis.
In Ayurveda, a decoction of garlic boiled in milk is considered a wonderful drug for
tuberculosis. One gram of garlic, 250 ml of milk and a litre of water are boiled together till its reduces to one fourth of the decoction. It should be taken thrice a day. Taken in sufficient quantities, it is a marvelous remedy for pneumonia.
Asthma
Three cloves of garlic boiled in milk, can be used every night with excellent results in
asthma. A pod of garlic is peeled, crushed and boiled in 120 ml pure malt-vinegar. It is strained after cooling and an equal quantity of honey is mixed and preserved in a clean bottle. One or two teaspoons of this syrup can be taken with
fenugreek decoction in the evening and before retiring. This has been found effective in reducing the severity of asthmatic attacks.