Garlic also known as Allium Sativum was originally native to India and central Asia. The name garlic derives from Anglo-Saxon “gar” (spear) and “leac” (leek), possibly because the leaves look like those of a leek and the cloves look like spearheads.

Garlic is a perennial herbs that can grow up to 2 feet with tall thin green leaves and purplish white flowers, but the active part of the plant grows in the ground which is the bulb. I use this herb daily in my kitchen mostly when mixing with food but raw garlic has binds heavy metals including lead, mercury and cadmium, then aiding in their elimination.

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PARTS OF THE PLANT USED:

• Fresh or Dried cloves

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ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:

• Diallyl disulphide- which breaks down when the surface is cut to produce the most active ingredient which is listed as next below.
• Allicin
• Amino acids
• Fatty oil
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C

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AVAILABLE FOR USE AS:

• Capsules
• Tablets
• Fresh Bulb

Herbs loss 70% of their potency when cooked or turned into capsules or tablets. Also as discussed in previous blogs the whole plant is used to make a remedy. This is because nature has designed the chemicals in the plant to work together to balance the active constituents.

Most people don’t like to take raw garlic because of the taste or it makes their breathe smell bad.

Which I completely agree!

However, I’ve found when taking garlic I will chop it up into fine pieces then add a spoonful of honey to help with the bitter taste. Now it’s not perfect but it helps make it more tolerable.

Another option that I thought of recently due to a conversation with a friend. I recommended her to use ginger but this poor girl can’t handle anything spicy or bitter so as an alternative I suggested she make her own capsules.

You can go on Amazon and buy plant-based capsules and grind up the garlic to put in the capsule. But keep in mind with this method garlic does go bad and you can only keep it in the fridge up to a week then it goes bad because once you peel off the protective layers from the garlic it no longer stays fresh.

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ACTIONS:

• Antibacterial
• Antimicrobial
• Antiviral
• Antifungal
• Anticoagulant

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HAS BEEN KNOWN TO HELP WITH:

• Influenza
• Viruses
• Low Immunity
• Respiratory Infections
• Fungal Infections- helps increase the efficiency of the immune system to fight yeast infections (candida).
• High Blood Pressure- under medical guidance will help to reduce fatty deposits in the blood and to lower blood pressure.

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CULINARY USE:

• A pungent flavoring which could be used in the powdered form or raw.

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SAFETY INFORMATION:

• Not to be used medicinally by people taking Warfarin or other anticoagulant medication.
• Always consult your doctor if you are on medication or plan to use for medical purposes.

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GROWING AND HARVESTING

• Prefers moist, well-drained soil and sun.
• Plant individual cloves of garlic 1 1/2 inches deep in late fall.
• The following year wait till the flowers and leaves start to wilt and dry out, then the bulbs are ready to harvest.

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Sources:

Book: Herbs by Jennie Harding (ISBN-13: 978-0-7858-3568-4

Book: Essential Guide to Herbs by Lesley Bremness (ISBN 978-1-78678-282-3

Information pulled October 14, 2021

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