Garlic

Latin Name : Allium sativum
Family : Liliaceae
Common Name : Organic Garlic, Poor Man's Treacle, Ail, Lasan, Rosina
Sanskrit Name : Rasona, Arista, Lasuona
Parts Used : Bulb

Introduction : Herbalists worldwide consider Garlic as one of the most important herbal medicines. It has been used both as food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years. Organic Garlic has an acrid, warm taste, and a disagreeable, pungent odor. Its antiseptic properties for healing wounds to acting as an inhibitor of diseases, have been proven and research into garlic's value continues till date. It contains a collection of sulfur and selenium aroma compounds which protect the plant from predators as well as soil-born organisms. It is these chemicals, that provide garlic its health-giving benefits.

Plant Description : Allium sativum is a perennial that can grow 2 feet high or more. The Garlic plant have 6-12 long, narrow and flat like grass leaves. The most important part of this plant for medicinal purposes is the bulb. The bulb consists of numerous bulblets, known as 'cloves' held between the papery membrane and enclosed within a whitish skin as a sac. Each bulb is made up of 4 to 20 cloves, and each clove weighs about 1 gram. The flowers rise direct from the bulb and are white in color. Allium sativum has an annual life cycle.

Habitate : Allium sativum flourishes best in a rich, moist, sandy soil with lot of sunshine.

History : Garlic is one of the most popular spice in the world. Garlic has been cultivated for more than 5000 years. Garlic has a long history of use by the Ayurvedic physicans for wide range of ailments such as ringworm, candida,vaginitis, digestive,cardiac tonic where its fungicidal, antiseptic, parasiticidal and tonic properties have benefitted.

It is reported that in ancient Egypt, the workers who had to build the great pyramids were fed garlic daily, and the Bible mentions that the Hebrews enjoyed their food with garlic.

In the first world war, garlic was widely used as an antiseptic to prevent gangrene and today people use garlic to help prevent atherosclerosis and improve high blood pressure.

Chemicals : The main active ingredient in garlic is Alliin. Allicin is the active compound that gives garlic its characteristic odor and many of its healing benefits. Other sulphur compounds are thiosulfinates, gamma glutamylcysteine peptides and various Cu-peptides, 2 mercapto-L-cysteins, anthocyanins, glycosides of kaempferol and quercetin, polysaccharides, allinase, sterols, hydrocarbons, sativin I & II, scordinines A & B.

Actions : Antibacterial, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Anthelmintic, Antiseptic, Antiviral, Hypotensive-vasodilator, Cholagogue, Antispasmodic, Decreases blood cholesterol, Increases HDL, Hypoglycemic, Expectorant, Diaphoretic, Antioxidant, Antineoplastic, Carminative.

Therapuetic Uses :

• Garlic may prevent blood clots and destroy plaque preventing atherosclerosis. Hence, garlic does reduce the chances of stroke, heart attacks, and PVD.

• Garlic may also be beneficial for risk factors form heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes as it helps reduce the level of Homocysteine similar to cholestrol.

• Raw garlic may lowerer blood pressure; but fairly small.

• Garlic has been used as a traditional dietary supplement for diabetes in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

• Garlic has a traditional history for prevention and cure of common cold and influenza.

• Studies have suggest that garlic may have some anti-cancer activity. Dietary garlic may offer some protection against the development of breast, prostate, and throat cancers,colon and stomach cancers.

• Garlic inhibits the growth of different species of bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism responsible for tuberculosis.

• Large quantities of fresh, raw garlic have antiparasitic properties against common type of intestinal parasite like the roundworm.

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