A Clove of Garlic A Day Will Keep The Illness Away!

Garlic (Allium sativum) is one of the earliest domesticated plants and can be traced back to at least 7,000 years ago. Its origins lie in Central Asia but through trade networks such as the Silk Road and the Columbian Exchange, garlic was transmitted around the world where local cultures realized its nutritional value as well its wide array of medicinal benefits. Garlic was one of the most valued plants in ancient times. Mentions of garlic can be found in the literature of all the great ancient cultures.

The Ancient Egyptians reportedly fed garlic to laborers who built the great pyramids to increase their strength and protect them from disease. Garlic was even found in the excavated tomb of King Tutankhamen though we do not know if it was placed there as part of his funerary accompaniment or if a worker left it behind.

The Ancient Greeks recognized the value of garlic in enhancing athletic performance and it was given to their athletes in the Olympic Games to increase their vitality and endurance. They also realized that garlic could give them extra endurance in the bedroom. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, recommended the use of garlic as a cleansing agent, for pulmonary problems and for abdominal growths. And, in Homer’s Odyssey garlic is used by Odysseus to keep the sorceress Circe from turning him and his men into pigs.

Garlic Healing powers

The Romans used garlic for endurance but realized it also helped on the battlefield and was used to treat wounds. In addition, they discovered that garlic made into a paste would cure hemorrhoids. Roman peasants used garlic to treat infections, and garlic becomes the sacred plant for the god Mars. Pliney the Elder, in his book Historia Naturatis, recommended garlic as a cure for gastrointestinal problems, animal bites, joint disease and seizures.

Throughout the Medieval era, garlic continued to be valued for its healing powers. It was used to treat many ailments: cure bad-breath, promote urine, treat animal bites, kill worms in children, cut strand of phlegm, reduce lethargy, serve as remedy for plague, cure sores and ulcers, removing skin blemishes, eases ear pain, ripens and breaks skin pustules, treat jaundice, and cure cramps.

Today we continue to use garlic for its antibiotic and antifungal benefits which have been shown to aid in heart health, lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and to boost the immune system.

And as Halloween approaches, we all know to have plenty of garlic on hand to keep the vampires at bay!