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© Copyright 1992 by Laura Michaels All Rights Reserved
Research for this article was done by members of the Greater Fort Worth Herb Society.
Allium sativum commonly known as garlic is often connected with the supernatural. According to folklore, it is used to guard against witchcraft, hold ghosts and protect against evil spirits. It's even been found in King Tut's tomb. Garlic is reputed to lower one's blood pressure. This may be the origin of the legend that garlic is useful for warding off vampires. However, if the idea of low blood pressure isn't enough to keep a vampire at bay, the unpleasant smell, on the breath of someone who has eaten garlic, is.
Garlic is a member of the Liliaceae family. It is also known as reeking rose and poor man's treacle (treacle meaning an antidote or remedy). "Gar" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for lance or spear, which the leaves resemble. "Leac" is from the Anglo-Saxon word for pot-herb. Garlic's meaning in floral language is courage and strength.
Garlic is a perennial, sometimes grown as an annual. The green leaves are sharp, straight and upright. They can reach 1 to 2 feet. Flowers may also appear and are usually white, pink or green. Garlic bulbs can contain from around 4 to 20 cloves. These are surrounded by a thin sheath or skin. Elephant garlic is a special variety which is much bigger than normal garlic. It also has a milder taste.
Garlic can be grown in full sun, but in warm areas, such as Texas, shade is recommended. If the plant starts to flower, the stems can be cut back so that garlic can devote its energy to producing bulbs instead.
It can be grown from seeds or bulbs. However, it is much simpler and faster to start from bulbs. In some areas, garlic can be planted all year round. One recommended plant spacing for bulbs is 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep. For the larger elephant garlic, plant bulbs 1 foot apart.
Garlic takes about 90 days to mature. Harvest the plant when leaves turn brown and dry out. You may want to stop watering a few days before harvest.
Garlic bulbs should be stored in a cool, dark place. You can also store cloves in a jar. To do so, peal the bulbs and place the cloves in olive oil. Keep the jar tightly closed and store in the refrigerator.
Garlic has a long history. It has been found in caves inhabited 10,000 years ago. The first garlic prescription was chiseled in cuneiform on a clay tablet by the Sumarians. Homer wrote of the plant's use as a protection against evil. In his story, The Odyssey, it was used by Odysseus to keep the sorceress Circe from turning him into a pig. The Egyptians swore on garlic when they took oaths. It was eaten by Egyptian slaves building the pyramids in order to keep up their strength and endurance. Romans also ate this herb for strength, in their case, during battle. It was known to Romans as an herb of Mars, their god of war. Not only is garlic considered valuable by many human cultures, but also by gorillas who often found colonies near areas where this plant flourishes.
There are many uses for garlic as a protection from evil. Greek midwives hung garlic cloves around birthing rooms to safeguard newborns from disease and witchcraft. While Europeans fastened braided garlic chains to their doorposts to keep evil spirits at bay.
The cloves that make up the garlic bulb are edible, and according to some folklore, considered an aphrodisiac. One of the main uses for garlic is culinary. Where would Italian food be without garlic? It's used in such diverse dishes as garlic bread, pesto, spaghetti and meatballs, chili, soups, stews, and herbed butters and vinegars, as well as many others. Garlic is also nutritional. It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, iron, mineral salts such as phosphorus and potassium, the antioxidant quercetin and an antibacterial substance known as allicin.
As obvious from its nickname, poor man's treacle, garlic has many medicinal uses. It is a potent antibiotic. Tests have found raw garlic even more powerful than penicillin and tetracycline. Hundreds of studies confirm garlic can be used as a broad-spectrum antibiotic against a long list of microbes including botulism, tuberculosis, diarrhea staph, dysentery and typhoid. Garlic was a vital ingredient of the 'Vinegar of the Four Thieves' used to supposedly make people immune to the plague. It's used as protection against colds. Research has also found some validity to claims that garlic is useful for heart problems and tumors. According to some, it can prevent or relieve chronic bronchitis. It is used in treatment of hypertension.
Garlic is said to have the following benefits. It fights infections, thins the blood, reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, stimulates the immune system, acts as an expectorant and decongestant and contains cancer-preventive chemicals. Cloves can be used externally, their odor can be inhaled and they can be eaten.
How much garlic should you eat for medicinal uses? Just half a raw garlic clove a day can increase body activity in dissolving blood clots and help prevent heart attacks and strokes. A couple of raw garlic cloves daily can keep blood cholesterol down in heart patients.
If the many medicinal uses aren't enough to convince you garlic is a plant worthy of a place in any herb garden, there are also craft uses. The flowers can make an interesting part of any floral arrangement. If growing garlic for its flowers, do not cut it back as you would when growing garlic only for its cloves.
Another wonderful craft use is making garlic chains. These are not only great for decoration, but are also a handy and attractive way to store your garlic cloves. Chains are good as an accessory for Halloween costumes or as a part of Halloween decoration.
These are just some of the many uses for garlic. It is not only of value to its grower, but also helpful to most gardens as a companion plant. Claims say it protects roses, cabbages, eggplants, tomatoes, fruit trees and other garden members from insects.
Hopefully the many ideas presented will encourage you to try your luck at growing your very own garlic plants. We encourage you to join the fascinating world of growing and using herbs by starting your own herb garden today.