Garlic
Garlic is the most potent member of the Allium family. It contains
allicin (antibacterial, antifungal, antiyeast, anticardiovascular diseases, anticancer) which breaks down to ajornes (anticlotting) when garlic is cooked in water and vinyldithins (antiasthmatic and anticlotting) when cooked in oil. The components diallyl sulfides and diallyl trisulfides are also both very effective against lung cancer.
There are hundreds of studies involving garlic, all of which confirm its benefits.
Experiments to produce an odorless garlic have been unsuccessful in that the healthy properties are lost, probably due to the elimination of sulfur. Sulfur is what caused it to be called “the lowly stinking rose.”
Garlic does its work in the liver, where cholesterol is produced, accounting for its cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering benefits. The same sulfur referred to above also improves cardiovascular health and inactivates cancer.
Many studies show that garlic lowers the risk of stomach and colon cancer, reduces blood sugar and lowers BP, the #1 risk factor for death in the world.
Swimmer’s ear, a problem caused by the fungus aspergillus, has also been treated successfully with a garlic solution.
To get real benefit from garlic, a dosage from 1.5 to 3 cloves of garlic/day is recommended. In Germany and Japan, garlic formulas are sold as over the counter (otc) drugs.
Garlic is best when eaten raw, but many people find this hard to tolerate. The solution to this is roasting.
Roasting instructions:
*Cut the top from the bulb to expose the tips of the cloves.
*Rub bulb lightly with olive oil and wrap in parchment paper. (I don’t use aluminum foil except as a covering when it is not heated and does not touch food).
* Leave air space around the bulb, but seal the edges tightly.
(You can also buy a simple garlic roaster and skip the paper wrapping)
*Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
*It can also be microwaved, uncovered and unoiled for about 10 minutes— turn it twice during the cooking.
*Remove and let cool. When cool, squeeze the root end to push the cloves out of their skins.
If you’re not consuming it immediately, it can be refrigerated in a tightly covered container for a week.
Hippocrates used garlic to treat pneumonia and infections. He warned about negative effects on the eyes.
According to a 2006 report by the US Department of Agriculture, China grows 81% of the world’s garlic. Although garlic is grown in every state in the United States except Alaska, much of US garlic comes from Gilroy, California, self billed “The Garlic Capital of the World.”
Pollination occurs by bees and other insects.
A Spanish saying “Sin ajo, no hay cocina” means that without garlic there is no kitchen.
The cloves have been called “pearls of the earth”.
And how many plants have their own documentary? Les Blank in 1980 produced the documentary “Garlic Is As Good As 10 Mothers”.
Garlic probably originated in Asia and is one of the oldest known plants. Originally in the lily family, it is a member of the Alliaceae family.
More magic and health lore is attributed to garlic than any other plant in our culinary history. It was included in Sanskrit writings as a kitchen staple as well as one of the most popular for medicinal uses. It was entombed with King Tut to ward off evil spirits.
Greek and Roman warriors consumed it in large quantities to gain strength and courage. It was also thought to be a highly stimulating aphrodisiac. England used it to fight infections during World War I and Russia used it during the same war to fight the deadly flu epidemic.
In many countries, it was rubbed on doorknobs and windowsills to ward off evil sprits. In the 16th century, Parisians ate garlic with fresh butter during May to guarantee a year of good health.
Studies at the University of California-Berkeley reveal that garlic contains significantly elevated levels of quercetin, one of the most powerful anti-cancer agents ever discovered. Although other fruits and vegetables also contain quercetin, it is not as easily broken down by bacterial enzymes in the intestines as the quercetin contained in garlic.
Other studies have revealed that allicin—more later—a chemical found in garlic, destroys a wide range of bacteria and fungi, including the bug that causes dysentary. Allicin is reported to be as beneficial as aspirin in reducing the formation of blood clots, a major cause of stroke-related paralysis and death.
Although garlic does repel rabbits, moles & most other predators and diseases, it is subject to attacks by nematodes and white rot disease. (White rot disease remains in the soil indefinitely after the ground has become infected.) Garlic also suffers from pink root, a typically nonfatal disease that stunts root growth and turns them pink or red.
Garlic is easy to grow and will grow in the wild. It is a good companion plant for
roses and reputedly improves their scent. When planted around fruit trees it repels borers and deters aphids. There are warnings that garlic should not be planted with peas, beans or other legumes.
Pollination by bees and insects is crucial to garlic’s cultivation.
Garlic was rarely used in English cuisine, although it grew there prior to 1548. It is more prevalent in Mediterranean cooking and is a fundamental part of most dishes in the rest of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, northern Africa and South and Central America. It is often used with onion, tomato or ginger.
Of the two subspecies of garlic, hardneck garlic is grown in cooler climates while softneck garlic is grown closer to the equator. The softneck varieties are often braided in strands called plaits or grappes (French for clusters).
Elephant garlic is not actually garlic at all, but a wild leek. Garlic chives are also not true garlic.
The immature green shoots which develop early in the growing stages of garlic are called scapes and are very tender and delicious with a milder taste than the cloves.
The cloves are actually specialized swollen leaves separated by membranes.
Garlic also has regular leaves which are a popular vegetable in many parts of Asia. The leaves are cut, cleaned, and then usually stir-fried.
The antibacterial allicin found in garlic is actually in two packages, allinase and alliin, separated by membranes in the cloves. This is a defense mechanism against microbes in the soil. When fungi or other pathogens attack the garlic, membranes are broken and within 10 seconds the enzyme allinase converts alliin into allicin, the sulfur producing miracle worker component. This is an extremely efficient defense—only the area where membranes are destroyed is affected and the protective system of the rest of the plant remains intact. It is apparent, then, that the smell of sulfur is an important part of the healing process and odorless capsules of garlic sold as supplements will not provide the medicinal properties available through fresh garlic.
When preparing garlic, crush or mince it and let it stand for 10 minutes to allow allicin to develop before using it. Allicin does have a short life.
Unfortunately, along with the wonderous properties of garlic, we also receive garlic breath. It can be alleviated by eating foods containing polyphenols which break down the sulfur. Among these are raw apples, green tea, basil and parsley, spinach, cardemon and anise seeds, mint, fennel and cloves. The acid in lemon juice neutralizes allinase, the enzyme which breaks down allicin.
Don’t store garlic bulbs in the refrigerator or they may mold. They should be exposed to air. Unlike the bulbs, scapes or leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks in loose paper or plastic bags but may cause fruits to have a garlic scent.
Cloves that have begun to sprout are still edible.
If you live on the west coast, you can attend the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California July 29, 30, 31, 2016. On the east coast, garlic is celebrated every year at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival near Saugerties, New York. This year’s festival takes place October 1 and 2, 2016.
Garlic is an herb which is a MUST on your list of medicinal plants and adds delicious flavor to your cuisine. Eat up!
Garlic is the most potent member of the Allium family. It contains
allicin (antibacterial, antifungal, antiyeast, anticardiovascular diseases, anticancer) which breaks down to ajornes (anticlotting) when garlic is cooked in water and vinyldithins (antiasthmatic and anticlotting) when cooked in oil. The components diallyl sulfides and diallyl trisulfides are also both very effective against lung cancer.
There are hundreds of studies involving garlic, all of which confirm its benefits.
Experiments to produce an odorless garlic have been unsuccessful in that the healthy properties are lost, probably due to the elimination of sulfur. Sulfur is what caused it to be called “the lowly stinking rose.”
Garlic does its work in the liver, where cholesterol is produced, accounting for its cholesterol and triglyceride-lowering benefits. The same sulfur referred to above also improves cardiovascular health and inactivates cancer.
Many studies show that garlic lowers the risk of stomach and colon cancer, reduces blood sugar and lowers BP, the #1 risk factor for death in the world.
Swimmer’s ear, a problem caused by the fungus aspergillus, has also been treated successfully with a garlic solution.
To get real benefit from garlic, a dosage from 1.5 to 3 cloves of garlic/day is recommended. In Germany and Japan, garlic formulas are sold as over the counter (otc) drugs.
Garlic is best when eaten raw, but many people find this hard to tolerate. The solution to this is roasting.
Roasting instructions:
*Cut the top from the bulb to expose the tips of the cloves.
*Rub bulb lightly with olive oil and wrap in parchment paper. (I don’t use aluminum foil except as a covering when it is not heated and does not touch food).
* Leave air space around the bulb, but seal the edges tightly.
(You can also buy a simple garlic roaster and skip the paper wrapping)
*Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
*It can also be microwaved, uncovered and unoiled for about 10 minutes— turn it twice during the cooking.
*Remove and let cool. When cool, squeeze the root end to push the cloves out of their skins.
If you’re not consuming it immediately, it can be refrigerated in a tightly covered container for a week.
Hippocrates used garlic to treat pneumonia and infections. He warned about negative effects on the eyes.
According to a 2006 report by the US Department of Agriculture, China grows 81% of the world’s garlic. Although garlic is grown in every state in the United States except Alaska, much of US garlic comes from Gilroy, California, self billed “The Garlic Capital of the World.”
Pollination occurs by bees and other insects.
A Spanish saying “Sin ajo, no hay cocina” means that without garlic there is no kitchen.
The cloves have been called “pearls of the earth”.
And how many plants have their own documentary? Les Blank in 1980 produced the documentary “Garlic Is As Good As 10 Mothers”.
Garlic probably originated in Asia and is one of the oldest known plants. Originally in the lily family, it is a member of the Alliaceae family.
More magic and health lore is attributed to garlic than any other plant in our culinary history. It was included in Sanskrit writings as a kitchen staple as well as one of the most popular for medicinal uses. It was entombed with King Tut to ward off evil spirits.
Greek and Roman warriors consumed it in large quantities to gain strength and courage. It was also thought to be a highly stimulating aphrodisiac. England used it to fight infections during World War I and Russia used it during the same war to fight the deadly flu epidemic.
In many countries, it was rubbed on doorknobs and windowsills to ward off evil sprits. In the 16th century, Parisians ate garlic with fresh butter during May to guarantee a year of good health.
Studies at the University of California-Berkeley reveal that garlic contains significantly elevated levels of quercetin, one of the most powerful anti-cancer agents ever discovered. Although other fruits and vegetables also contain quercetin, it is not as easily broken down by bacterial enzymes in the intestines as the quercetin contained in garlic.
Other studies have revealed that allicin—more later—a chemical found in garlic, destroys a wide range of bacteria and fungi, including the bug that causes dysentary. Allicin is reported to be as beneficial as aspirin in reducing the formation of blood clots, a major cause of stroke-related paralysis and death.
Although garlic does repel rabbits, moles & most other predators and diseases, it is subject to attacks by nematodes and white rot disease. (White rot disease remains in the soil indefinitely after the ground has become infected.) Garlic also suffers from pink root, a typically nonfatal disease that stunts root growth and turns them pink or red.
Garlic is easy to grow and will grow in the wild. It is a good companion plant for
roses and reputedly improves their scent. When planted around fruit trees it repels borers and deters aphids. There are warnings that garlic should not be planted with peas, beans or other legumes.
Pollination by bees and insects is crucial to garlic’s cultivation.
Garlic was rarely used in English cuisine, although it grew there prior to 1548. It is more prevalent in Mediterranean cooking and is a fundamental part of most dishes in the rest of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, northern Africa and South and Central America. It is often used with onion, tomato or ginger.
Of the two subspecies of garlic, hardneck garlic is grown in cooler climates while softneck garlic is grown closer to the equator. The softneck varieties are often braided in strands called plaits or grappes (French for clusters).
Elephant garlic is not actually garlic at all, but a wild leek. Garlic chives are also not true garlic.
The immature green shoots which develop early in the growing stages of garlic are called scapes and are very tender and delicious with a milder taste than the cloves.
The cloves are actually specialized swollen leaves separated by membranes.
Garlic also has regular leaves which are a popular vegetable in many parts of Asia. The leaves are cut, cleaned, and then usually stir-fried.
The antibacterial allicin found in garlic is actually in two packages, allinase and alliin, separated by membranes in the cloves. This is a defense mechanism against microbes in the soil. When fungi or other pathogens attack the garlic, membranes are broken and within 10 seconds the enzyme allinase converts alliin into allicin, the sulfur producing miracle worker component. This is an extremely efficient defense—only the area where membranes are destroyed is affected and the protective system of the rest of the plant remains intact. It is apparent, then, that the smell of sulfur is an important part of the healing process and odorless capsules of garlic sold as supplements will not provide the medicinal properties available through fresh garlic.
When preparing garlic, crush or mince it and let it stand for 10 minutes to allow allicin to develop before using it. Allicin does have a short life.
Unfortunately, along with the wonderous properties of garlic, we also receive garlic breath. It can be alleviated by eating foods containing polyphenols which break down the sulfur. Among these are raw apples, green tea, basil and parsley, spinach, cardemon and anise seeds, mint, fennel and cloves. The acid in lemon juice neutralizes allinase, the enzyme which breaks down allicin.
Don’t store garlic bulbs in the refrigerator or they may mold. They should be exposed to air. Unlike the bulbs, scapes or leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks in loose paper or plastic bags but may cause fruits to have a garlic scent.
Cloves that have begun to sprout are still edible.
If you live on the west coast, you can attend the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California July 29, 30, 31, 2016. On the east coast, garlic is celebrated every year at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival near Saugerties, New York. This year’s festival takes place October 1 and 2, 2016.
Garlic is an herb which is a MUST on your list of medicinal plants and adds delicious flavor to your cuisine. Eat up!
Garlic scapes