Allium sativum

Garlic

Familia: Liliaceae

History

Originating in the steppes of Central Asia, garlic is a plant cultivated for thousands of years and used as medicine by the doctors of ancient India. Like the onion (Allium cepa), the garlic migrated to Egypt passing through Asia Minor. The Egyptians began to cultivate these two plants systematically, which caused their strong spicy flavor to be attenuated, to be used and appreciated as a common food. Without the radish, the onion and the garlic, the pyramids of Giza could not have been built. These three plants allowed that all the people who worked in the construction were protected of epidemics thanks to their consumption.

The consumption of garlic was only forbidden to priests, as it was considered sacred, divine and also aphrodisiac. Advancing towards the west and the north the garlic was used by Greeks, Romans, Gauls and Germans as food, spice and as a remedy. Praised by Hippocrates and Dioscorides is also mentioned in the manuals of the Middle Ages. In Norse mythology, garlic is mentioned as a remedy to ward off demons. Loniceruslo qualified as "thériaque des paysans" that is, the panacea of ​​the people. I recommended it in case of "body tumors" to soften the ulcers, open them and remove them. The privileged affectations with the use of garlic were cutaneous problems, infections, intestinal parasites, kidney failure, bronchial catarrh and belly disease. According to Lonicerus the garlic cloves had to be planted (they multiplied by vegetative division) and the seeds did not have to be sown, since the plant became toxic after six years. The ancient Greeks and Romans called garlic "scorodon". The etymology of the word "Allium" is uncertain. They resemble the Latin "olere" from the Greek "hallensthai" which means to arise, because of its rapid growth. "Sativum" means "cultivate". Despite the intense smell, garlic is used in many countries as a fundamental element of the alimentacion.According to Dr. A.Vogel this drawback is eliminated with the simultaneous intake of fresh and raw parsley.

In our own interest, we should be more tolerant at the olfactory level, since after the discovery of allicin in 1944, innumerable publications have demonstrated the healing virtues of garlic.

Botanical characteristics

The smooth floral stem, with a height between 30 to 80 cm, grows from the central bulbil. Enveloped by a tight papyrus sheath that encloses a variable number of bulbils and concludes with an umbel almost completely protected by a white, long and pointed spar. The flowers, most of the times sterile, appear delicate, from white to pink and six-petalled verdáceo. Among the flowers, there is a huge amount of oval bulbils that fall on the ground and reproduce new plants. The flowering takes place in July and August.

Habitat

Garlic is grown throughout the world and in regions with warm or temperate climates. It is used mainly as a seasoning and as a vegetable.