Written by Maryann Readal
garlic, Allium sativum, of The Herb Society’s Remedy of the Month in September. This is the time to be happy with garlic if you want to grow it, because autumn is the right time planting it for harvest in the early summer of next year. Garlic is found in Amaryllidaceae family and chives, onions, leeks, and shallots. Scientific research shows that the place of origin of garlic is Central Asia (Tokenova et al., 2022). Many scholars believe that garlic has been used as a medicinal and culinary plant for about 7000 years (Trincklein, 2015), but in earlier times, the healing properties of garlic were not well understood; people thought it was a magical plant and that its smell would ward off illness and evil.
There is a lot of history surrounding the use of garlic. References to garlic have been found in early Sanskrit and Babylonian texts dating back 4,500 years. Even Confucius wrote about the use of garlic to treat high blood pressure, respiratory problems and depression. According to the Egyptian The Ebers Papyruswritten in 1550 BCE, garlic was prescribed to treat tumors, circulatory problems, and remove parasites from the body—it was a remedy that cured 22 diseases in total.
The ancient Egyptians gave the workers who built these towers garlic in the belief that it would give them strength and keep them healthy, while garlic cloves were preserved in the tomb of King Tut. Hippocrates, the Greek Father of Medicine, recommended garlic to cleanse the body of impurities and respiratory and stomach problems. Garlic was given to early Olympians to improve their performance, possibly making it the first performance-enhancing substance (Rivlin, 2001). It was an important part of the military diet in Greece.
The Romans, following the medical practices of the Greeks, gave their soldiers and sailors garlic to keep their energy at a high level. Dioscorides, a Greek physician in the Roman army, recommended garlic because it “purifies the blood vessels” (Rivlin, 2001). Pliny the Elder recommended 61 uses of garlic in the treatment of various ailments (Hicks, 1986). It is interesting to note that the upper classes of the Greeks and Romans did not eat garlic because of its smell.
The Bible speaks in Greek when it talks about the story of the Israelites coming out of Egypt and Moses saying: “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.” (Numbers 11:5). Some religious scholars also say that garlic symbolized purification, and followers believed that it provided protection from evil (Anderson, ND). It is interesting that “the Jewish Talmud advises husbands to eat garlic on Shabbat night to perform their marital duty with strength” (Kresh, 2012). And – the use of garlic to strengthen energy.
The Romans brought garlic to northern Europe after which the monks planted it in their apothecary gardens and used it to treat the same conditions as the ancient traditions. Garlic played a role in the writings of Hildegaard von Bingen, who stated that raw garlic was more effective than cooked. Charlemagne said garlic was “the physician’s friend and the cook’s glory” and charged all his subjects to plant garlic in their gardens (Hicks, 1986).
During the plague of the 1300s, four robbers were brought before a French judge to be sentenced. The judge ordered the men to bury the dead as punishment. Legend has it that the four robbers survived that deadly mission because they drank a lot of wine full of garlic and spices and poured that wine over their bodies. The judge ordered them to reveal their secret to resist the epidemic. Their secret was called “Four Thieves’ Vinegar” and it can still be bought (or made). In the Middle Ages, priests and doctors wore masks that contained garlic and spices, believing that the spices protected them from the disease. After falling out of favor because of its smell, garlic regained popularity in Great Britain during the First World War when doctors used it as an antiseptic for war wounds.
The colonists brought garlic to the New World but Native Americans were already using native garlic to treat many of the same ailments that were treated with garlic in Europe and Asia. The Shakers used garlic as a stimulant. The popularity of garlic as a culinary spice took hold in the 1920s and continued to grow in the United States. Today, no American kitchen is complete without garlic, and it is a staple of our diet.
Modern research confirms other ancient medicinal uses of garlic such as treating blood pressure, fighting infections, treating fungal problems, protecting the liver, and treating sore throats and colds etc. This ancient plant still plays a role today in helping. to maintain a healthy life.
For more information about garlic, please see HSAs Remedy of the Month Website.
Drug Disclaimer: It is the policy of The Herb Society of America, Inc. not advising or recommending medical or health remedies. This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement of any particular treatment or health care. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatment.
Photo credits: 1) Garlic and clove bulb (Wikimedia Commons); 2) Building towers with garlic (Wikimedia Commons); 3) Young garlic seller (Wikimedia Commons, public domain); 4) Four Thieves Vinegar 17th c. (Wikimedia Commons); 5) Garlic bread (Creative Commons).
References:
Anderson, Michael. ND The spiritual significance of garlic in the Bible. Accessed 8/6/24.
Bayan, L., Koulivand, PH, & Gorji, A. 2014. Garlic: a review of its potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna’s journal of phytomedicine, 4(1), 1–14. Accessed 8/8/24.
Garlic gold. 2024. History of ancient plants. Accessed 8/11/24. https://garlicgold.com/about-garlic-gold/history-of-garlic/ancient-crop/#:~:text=In%20Europe%20in%20the%20Middle,garlic’s%20antibacterial%20properties%20in%201858.
Hicks, AH 1986. The mystique of garlic: History, uses, superstitions and scientific revelations. In Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery, 1984 & 1985: Cookery: Science, Lore & Books Proceedings. Accessed 8/11/24.
Kress, Miriam. 2012. Jews and garlic: love, hate, and confit. Accessed 8/6/24.
Rivlin, Richard S. A historical perspective on the use of garlic. Journal of Nutrition 131:3, 2001. Accessed 8/6/24.
Petrovska, BB and Cekovska, S. 2010. Extracts from the history and medicinal properties of garlic. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(7), 106–110. Accessed 8/8/24.
Tokenova, Akerke, and G. Sitpayeva, N. Gemejiyeva, S. Suleimenova, N. Friesen, D. Batayeva. 2022. Wild Allium longicuspis Regel is a feral species Allium sativum L. in Kazakhstan: Molecular genetic analysis.Online J. Bio. Science. 23 (1): 33.43. PDF accessed 8/30/24.
Trincklein, David. 2015. Garlic: A brief history. Accessed 8/6/24.
Mariann is a member of The Herb Society of America’s Texas Thyme Unit in Huntsville, TX. She is a Texas Master Gardener and a certified Native Landscape Specialist with the Texas Native Plant Society and has received The Herb Society’s Nancy Putnam Award for Excellence in Horticulture. He teaches and writes about herbs and plants and conducts plant training in several Master Gardener programs. He gardens among the pines of the Piney Woods of East Texas.
