Preventive medicine has long
proven its worth as a pound of cure. Without the benefit of
modern scientific research, our ancestors recognized garlic's
protective benefits. The plant was a staple in the Sumerian
diet, and it appeared centuries later in early Sanskrit testimonies.
Egyptian laborers, who received a daily ration of garlic for
strength as they built the pyramids, went on strike when their
allotment of garlic grew scarce. Roman soldiers, too, ate
garlic for fortitude and endurance as they marched into battle,
and they also fed garlic to their horses for strength. The
Chinese have used the bulb since at least 2,000 BC.
Just as the medicinal uses for garlic have
spanned centuries, so have the beliefs surrounding its magic.
Folk wisdom long considered garlic a protection from the
"evil eye" and powerful spells. The sorceress
Circe couldn't turn Ulysses into a pig because he had eaten
garlic for defense. Folks in the Middle Ages believed it
a deterrent against vampires, hanging braided garlic in
their homes and wearing cloves of garlic around their necks
An old European tale noted that if a runner
chewed garlic cloves as he raced, his victory was assured.
In a similar vote of confidence, farmers fed garlic to your
pullets to increase egg production. As soon as the hens
began to lay, the garlic was removed from the diet for fear
the eggs would have a disagreeable garlic odor and taste.
In the Middle Ages, Charlemagne grew garlic
for medicinal purposes in his herb garden at Aixla-Chapelle,
and in the sixteenth century, Parisians ate garlic with butter every Mary to keep healthy
for the rest of the year. In 1722, during the plague in France,
garlic figured as the main ingredient in the famous Four Thieves’
Vinegar that kept robbers alive and well as they plundered
and stole from the dead. Later, in Victorian England, French
priests living in London ate ample amounts of garlic, avoiding
disease as they worked with the poor and downand-outs. In
contrast, the English clergy, with no garlic in their diet,
contracted all sorts of illnesses as they worked in the slums.
More recently, scientific research has confirmed
garlic’s attributes. Humble garlic fights bacteria,
harbors antiseptic and antibiotic properties, regulates
intestinal flora, and acts as an excellent vermifuge. Feeding
your dog garlic will help ward off worms, ticks, and lice.
Garlic appears to regulate blood sugar and to lower and
stabilize blood pressure—not to mention cutting through
and dissolving cholesterol, preventing arthritis, detoxifying
the body, strengthening the immune system, fighting asthma,
and quelling nervousness. Some even consider garlic an aphrodisiac.
The Stinking Rose
Of course, garlic has not only won fans for its prevention
and curing of illnesses, but also for the pure pleasure
of its taste. Its flavor comes from its oil, which contains
a sulfur compound called "allin." When cut or
crushed, the garlic