Allow me to introduce to you some perhaps little known facts about that wonder culinary herb we know as garlic. In our home we use it a lot. It does stink. But it is so good!
Garlic is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onion.
Native to Central Asia and northeastern Iran, it has been around for thousands of years. Used commonly as a seasoning, garlic has also been used as a traditional medicine. A whopping 80% of the world supply comes from China. Did you know that a species of Sicilian garlic called Aglio Rosso di Nubia is red? And that aged garlic, sold in little boxes in our supermarket is black – and sweet. Word is that its richer in antioxidants than raw garlic. And antiioxidants of course protect against cell damage and aging.
As recently as 60 years ago, garlic was a crucial component in the standard issue medical kits that were carried by medics in the United States military in both World War I and II to treat wounds. Its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties have been praised for millennia. When they ran out of antibiotics the medics applied garlic poultices to the soldiers’ wounds – with great success.
Grown between rose bushes, garlic stops the aphids from munching on that luscious new spring growth. I know. I’ve done it.
Garlic of course has a strong history in folklore. Linked to good and evil. Many cultures used it for protection or white magic. In Central European people believed it protected them against demons, werewolves, and vampires. It could be found hanging in windows, worn around the neck, rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.
In the foundation myth of the ancient Korean kingdom of Gojoseon, eating nothing but 20 cloves of garlic and a bundle of Korean mugwort for 100 days let a bear be transformed into a woman.
Anyone for some garlic bread?
Raili Tanska
Steps for Peace
Nature itself is the best physician
Hippocrates.
soulgifts - Telling Tales 
I love garlic and have grown it myself. It really is a med. as well as spice for food. I had two friends allergic to the point they couldn’t even be in the same room. Terrible…I can’t think of anything much worse.
My father-in-law hates it. I can never understand why.
I love garlic!
You will be safe from vampire attack in this month of Halloween then!
Love, love, love garlic, Raili. And garlic bread… oh me, oh my! 😀
I ate some raw garlic once (just a little too much, I must admit!) and my mouth felt as though it was burning for a week! I haven’t eaten it raw since…
Lol!
80%? Wow. That’s interesting. Also interesting about how it was included in medical kits during the war. Great post, Raili!
Garlic is so good, in so many ways 🙂
I wouldn’t be without garlic.. and we harvested more this year.. I also came across this tip about warts and garlic..
I had had a kind of wart on the bridge of my second toe.. It had been there for years and was starting to rub on my shoe and become tender..
I heard a tip that rubbing with garlic worked from a friends blog.. She too had tried it out and it worked..
So I did what she said.. I crushed a small piece of garlic and used a plaster to hold it in place over the wart.. I only had it in place over night as it was difficult in the day, the first night it became itchy.. and felt a little like a burning sensation.. The second night I did the same and it irritated, so I look it off and forgot about it over the next few days..
When I went to look for the wart to repeat the process some time later.. NO wart.. And I had had it for years…..
So yes.. It holds many little miracles in that clove.. ❤
Wow! That’s amazing. Thanks for that info Sue x
Garlic bread. Why didn’t I get the fixings for garlic bread last time I was in the store. I could be munching this moment.
Do it now!