Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive and rakkyo. With a history of human use of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient Egyptians, and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Allium sativum is a bulbous plant. It grows up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in height. It produces hermaphrodite flowers. Pollination occurs by bees and other insects.
Garlic is an herb. It is best known as a flavoring for food. But over the years, garlic has been used as a medicine to prevent or treat a wide range of diseases and conditions. The fresh clove or supplements made from the clove are used for medicine.
Uses: Garlic is used for many conditions related to the heart and blood system. These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, heart attack and “hardening of the arteries. Some of these uses are supported by science. Garlic actually may be effective in slowing the development of atherosclerosis and seems to be able to modestly reduce blood pressure.
Some people use garlic to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. It is also used to treat prostate cancer and blood cancer.
Garlic has been tried for treating an enlarged prostate, diabetes, osteoarthritis, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), traveler's diarrhea and high blood pressure late in pregnancy, cold and flu. It is also used for building the immune system, preventing tick bites, and preventing and treating bacterial and fungal infections.
Other uses include treatment of fever, coughs, headache, stomach ache, sinus congestion, gout, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, asthma and bronchitis, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, high blood sugar and snakebites. It is also used for fighting stress and fatigue, and maintaining healthy liver function.
Some people apply garlic oil to their skin to treat fungal infections, warts, and corns. There is some evidence supporting the topical use of garlic for fungal infections like ringworm, jock itch and athlete’s foot; but the effectiveness of garlic against warts and corns is still uncertain.
For best results, fresh garlic or preparations that mimic it need to be used. Dried or cooked garlic, as well as garlic oil, lose a significant amount of potency during processing (though they aren't worthless and are still beneficial to eat as food). Preparations used for medicinal purposes should state that they have allicin potential of at least 6,000 mcg on the label. Alternately, eat one chopped clove of fresh garlic per day. (The fresh garlic that has been peeled and sometimes minced and sold in jars in the grocery store is not potent enough).
There is also some evidence that garlic supplements can mildly lower blood pressure by dilating or expanding blood vessels. And garlic helps prevent blood clots and therefore reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by decreasing the stickiness of platelets, which are tiny disk-shaped bodies in the blood that are necessary for blood clotting.
Garlic has also been shown to reduce pain and other symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis. And it reduces the size of some cancerous tumors and helps prevent some cancers, particularly those in the intestines. However, the research on this is not nearly as far advanced as that for garlic and heart disease, so do not use garlic supplements without consulting with a natural health care professional.
One of the oldest uses of garlic, however, is as an antibiotic. Garlic kills a range of microbes, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, and can be effective against such conditions as athlete's foot, thrush (a fungal infection of the mouth), viral diarrhea, and the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Only fresh garlic or supplements that mimic it have these effects.
Garlic is likely safe in pregnancy when taken in the amounts normally found in food. Garlic is possibly unsafewhen used in medicinal amounts in pregnancy and breast-feeding. There is not enough reliable information about the safety of using garlic on the skin if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side, and avoid use.
Garlic is possibly safe when taken by mouth and appropriately for a short-term in children. But garlic is possibly unsafe when taken by mouth in large doses. Some sources suggest that high doses of garlic could be dangerous or even fatal to children; however, the reason for this warning is not known. There is no case reports available of significant adverse events or mortality in children associated with taking garlic by mouth.