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| Garlic | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Allium sativum, known as garlic from William Woodville, Medical Botany, 1793. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Allium sativum L. |
Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, the shallot, and the leek. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking.Gernot Katzer (2005-02-23). Spice Pages: Garlic (Allium sativum, garlick). Retrieved on 2007-08-28.. A bulb of garlic, the most commonly used part of the plant, is divided into numerous fleshy sections called cloves. The cloves are used as seed, for consumption (raw or cooked), and for medicinal purposes. The leaves, stems (scape) and flowers (bulbils) on the head (spathe) are also edible and most often consumed while immature and still tender. The papery, protective layers of \'skin\' over various parts of the plant and the roots attached to the bulb are the only parts not considered palatable.
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The ancestry of cultivated garlic, according to Zohary and Hopf,[cite this quote] is not definitely established: "a difficulty in the identification of its wild progenitor is the sterility of the cultivars."Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of plants in the Old World, third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), p. 197
Allium sativum grows in the wild in areas where it has become naturalised; it probably descended from the species Allium longicuspis, which grows wild in south-western Asia.Salunkhe and Kadam p. 397 The \'wild garlic\', \'crow garlic\' and \'field garlic\' of Britain are the species Allium ursinum, Allium vineale and Aleum oleraceum, respectively. In North America, \'Allium vineale, known as \'wild-\' or \'crow garlic\', and Allium canadense, known as \'meadow-\' or \'wild garlic\' and \'wild onion\', are common weeds in fields.McGee p. 112 One of the best known "garlics," the so-called elephant garlic, is actually a wild leek (Allium ampeloprasum).
Garlic is easy to grow and can be grown year-round in mild climates. In cold climates, cloves can be planted in the ground about six weeks before the soil freezes, and harvested in late spring. Garlic plants are not attacked by pests. They can suffer from pink root, a disease that stunts the roots and turns them pink or red. Garlic plants can be grown close together, leaving enough room for the bulbs to mature, and are easily grown in containers of sufficient depth.
Garlic is grown globally, but China is by far the largest producer of garlic with approximately 23 billion pounds annually, accounting for over 75% of world output. India (4%) and South Korea (3%) follow, with the United States (2%) in fourth place, where garlic is grown primarily as a cash crop in every state except for Alaska.[1] This leaves 16% of global garlic production in countries that produce less than 2% of global output.
Garlic being crushed using a garlic press.
Garlic bulbs and individual cloves, one peeled.
Garlic scapes are often harvested early so that the bulbs will grow bigger.
Garlic is widely used around the world for its pungent flavor, as a seasoning or condiment. The flavour varies in intensity and aroma with cooking methods. It is often paired with onion, tomato, or ginger. The parchment-like skin is much like the skin of an onion, and is typically removed before using in raw or cooked form. An alternative is to cut the top off the bulb, coat cloves of garlic by dribbling olive oil (or other oil based seasoning) over them and roast them in the oven. The garlic softens and can be extracted from the cloves by squeezing the (root) end of the bulb or individually by squeezing one end of the clove.
Oils are often flavored with garlic cloves. Commercially prepared oils are widely available, but when preparing garlic-infused oil at home, there is a risk of botulism if the product is not stored properly. To reduce this risk, the oil should be refrigerated and used within one week. Manufacturers add acids and/or other chemicals to eliminate the risk of botulism in their products.http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/garlic-ail_e.html
In Chinese cuisine, the young bulbs are pickled for 3–6 weeks in a mixture of sugar, salt and spices. In Russia and the Caucasus, the shoots are pickled and eaten as an appetizer.
It is widely used with kebabs, mezes and various meals in Turkish cuisine.
Immature scapes are tender and edible. They are also known as \'garlic spears\', \'stems\', or \'tops\'. Scapes generally have a milder taste than cloves. They are often used in stir frying or prepared like asparagus. Garlic leaves are a popular vegetable in many parts of Asia, particularly Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Korean cuisines. The leaves are cut, cleaned and then stir-fried with eggs, meat, or vegetables.
Garlic is essential to several Mediterranean dishes. Mixing garlic with eggs and olive oil produces aioli ("garlic and oil" in Provençal). The Spanish variant does not use eggs. Garlic, oil, and a chunky base produce skordalia (from the Greek and Italian names of garlic). Blending garlic, almond, oil and soaked bread produces ajoblanco (ajo blanco is Spanish for "white garlic"). Le Tourin is a French garlic soup.
In Asia, garlic is fundamental to Korean and Thai cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, it is usually chopped and stir-fried with chopped ginger and other aromatics in oil as the basis of sauces. Japanese cuisine uses very little garlic.
Garlic along with ginger form the basis for most of the Indian curries and cooked varieties of rice such as pulao, biriyani, coconut rice etc.
Domestically, garlic is stored warm (above 18°C or 64°F) and dry, to keep it dormant (so that it does not sprout). It is traditionally hung; softneck varieties are often braided in strands called "plaits", or in short plaits. Plaits are sometimes called grappes, following French usage.
Commercially, garlic is stored at 0°C, also dry.http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Veg/garlic.shtml
From the earliest times garlic has been used as a food. It formed part of the diet of the Israelites in Egypt (Numbers 11:5) and of the labourers employed by Khufu in constructing the pyramid. Garlic is still grown in Egypt, but the Syrian variety is the kind most esteemed now (see Rawlinson\'s Herodotus, 2.125).
It was consumed by the ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, sailors and rural classes (Virgil, Ecologues ii. 11), and, according to Pliny the Elder (Natural History xix. 32), by the African peasantry. Galen eulogizes it as the "rustic\'s theriac" (cure-all) (see F Adams\'s Paulus Aegineta, p. 99), and Alexander Neckam, a writer of the 12th century (see Wright\'s edition of his works, p. 473, 1863), recommends it as a palliative of the heat of the sun in field labor.
In his Natural History Pliny gives an exceedingly long list of scenarios in which it was considered beneficial (N.H. xx. 23). Dr. T. Sydenham valued it as an application in confluent smallpox, and, says Cullen (Mat. Med. ii. p. 174, 1789), found some dropsies cured by it alone. Early in the 20th century, it was sometimes used in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis or phthisis.
Harvesting garlic, from Tacuinum sanitatis, 15th century (Bibliothèque nationale)
Garlic was rare in traditional English cuisine (though it is said to have been grown in England before 1548), and has been a much more common ingredient in Mediterranean Europe. Garlic was placed by the ancient Greeks on the piles of stones at cross-roads, as a supper for Hecate (Theophrastus, Characters, The Superstitious Man); and according to Pliny, garlic and onions were invoked as deities by the Egyptians at the taking of oaths. (Pliny also states that garlic de-magnetizes loadstones, which is not factual.)Lehoux, Daryn (2003). "Tropes, Facts, and Empiricism". Perspectives on Science 11: 326-345. The inhabitants of Pelusium in lower Egypt, who worshipped the onion, are said to have had an aversion to both onions and garlic as food.
To prevent the plant from running to leaf, Pliny (N.H. xix. 34) advised bending the stalk downward and covering with earth; seeding, he observes, may be prevented by twisting the stalk (by "seeding", he most likely means the development of small, less potent bulbs).
Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating as far back as the time that the Egyptian pyramids were built. Garlic is claimed to help prevent heart disease including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer.University of Maryland Garlic
Animal studies, and some early investigational studies in humans, have suggested possible cardiovascular benefits of garlic. A Czech study found garlic supplementation reduced accumulation of cholesterol on vascular walls of animals.Sovova M, Sova P. Pharmaceutical importance of Allium sativum L. 5. Hypolipemic effects in vitro and in vivo. Ceska Slov Farm. 2004 May;53(3):117-23.] Another study had similar results, with garlic supplementation significantly reducing the plaque in the aortas of cholesterol-fed rabbits.Durak A, Ozturk HS, Olcay E, Guven C. Effects of garlic extract supplementation on blood lipid and antioxidant parameters and atherosclerotic plaque formation process of cholesterol-fed rabbits. J Herb Pharmcother. 2002;2(2):19-32. Another study showed that supplementation with garlic extract inhibited vascular calcification in human patients with high blood cholesterol.Durak I, Kavutcu M, Aytac B, et al. Effects of garlic extract consumption on blood lipid and oxidant/antioxidant parameters in humans with high blood cholesterol. J Nutr Biochem. 2004 Jun;15(6):373-7. The known vasodilative effect of garlic is possibly caused by catabolism of garlic-derived polysulfides to hydrogen sulfide in red blood cells, a reaction that is dependant on reduced thiols in or on the RBC membrane. Hydrogen sulphide is an endogenous cardioprotective vascular cell signaling molecule.Hydrogen sulfide mediates the vasoactivity of garlic.
However, a NIH-funded randomized clinical trial published in Archives of Internal Medicine in 2007 found that consumption of garlic, in any form, did not reduce cholesterol levels in patients with moderately high baseline levels.Garlic - What We Know and What We Don\'t Know Retrieved 27 February 2007 Effect of Raw Garlic vs Commercial Garlic Supplements on Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Adults With Moderate Hypercholesterolemia - A Randomized Clinical Trial Retrieved 26 February 2007
With regard to this clinical trial, theheart.org reports:
| “ | Despite decades of research suggesting that garlic can improve cholesterol profiles, a new NIH-funded trial found absolutely no effects of raw garlic or garlic supplements on LDL, HDL, or triglycerides... The findings underscore the hazards of meta-analyses made up of small, flawed studies and the value of rigorously studying popular herbal remedies.Goodbye, garlic? Randomized controlled trial of raw garlic and supplements finds no effect on lipids Retrieved 27 February 2007 | ” |
In 2007 a BBC news story reported that Allium sativum may have beneficial properties, such as preventing and fighting the common cold.Garlic \'prevents common cold\' 2007 This assertion has the backing of long tradition. Traditional British herbalism used garlic for hoarseness and coughs, both as a syrup and in a salve made of garlic and lard, which was rubbed on the chest and back.[Grieve, Maud. (Mrs.). Garlic. A Modern Herbal. Hypertext version of the 1931 edition. Accessed: December 18, 2006. http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/garlic06.html] The Cherokee also used it as an expectorant for coughs and croup.Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey 1975 Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History. Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co. (p. 35)
Allium sativum has been found to reduce platelet aggregation and hyperlipidemia.NCBINCBI
Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels. Regular and prolonged use of therapeutic amounts of aged garlic extracts lower blood homocysteine levels, and has shown to prevent some complications of diabetes mellitus.People with diabetes should say \'yes\' to garlic by Patricia Andersen-Parrado, Better Nutrition, Sept 1996Garlic - University of Maryland Medical Center People taking insulin should not consume medicinal amounts of garlic without consulting a physician.
Allium sativum may also possess cancer-fighting properties due to the presence of allylic sulfur compounds such as diallyl disulfide (DADs), believed to be an anticarcinogen.Abstract NCBI
In 1858, Louis Pasteur observed garlic\'s antibacterial activity, and it was used as an antiseptic to prevent gangrene during World War I and World War II.Health effects of garlic American Family Physician by Ellen Tattelman, July 1, 2005 More recently it has been found from a clinical trial that a mouthwash containing 2.5% fresh garlic shows good antimicrobial activity, although the majority of the participants reported an unpleasant taste and halitosis.Groppo, F.; Ramacciato, J.; Motta, R.; Ferraresi, P.; Sartoratto, A. (2007) "Antimicrobial activity of garlic against oral streptococci." Int. J. Dent. Hyg., 5:109–115.
In modern naturopathy, garlic is used as a treatment for intestinal worms and other intestinal parasites, both orally and as an anal suppository. Garlic cloves are used as a remedy for infections (especially chest problems), digestive disorders, and fungal infections such as thrush.[citation needed]
Garlic has been reasonably successfully used in AIDS patients to treat cryptosporidium in an uncontrolled study in China.Fareed G, Scolaro M, Jordan W, Sanders N, Chesson C, Slattery M, Long D, Castro C. The use of a high-dose garlic preparation for the treatment of Cryptosporidium parvum diarrhea. NLM Gateway. Retrieved December 7, 2007. It has also been used by at least one AIDS patient to treat toxoplasmosis, another protozoal disease.John S. James. Treatment Leads on Cryptosporisiosis: Preliminary Report on Opportunistic Infection, AIDS TREATMENT NEWS No. 049 - January 29, 1988. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
Garlic supplementation in rats along with a high protein diet has been shown to boost testosterone levels.Yuriko Oi, Mika Imafuku, Chiaki Shishido, Yutaka Kominato, Syoji Nishimura, and Kazuo Iwai, Garlic Supplementation Increases Testicular Testosterone and Decreases Plasma Corticosterone in Rats Fed a High Protein Diet. Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry, Faculty of Home Economics, Kobe Women\'s University. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
To maximise health benefits from consuming cooked garlic, it has been suggested to allow crushed or chopped garlic to rest for 15 minutes before use to allow enzyme reactions to occur.Tara Parker-Pope. "Unlocking the Benefits of Garlic," New York Times, October 15, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2007. However the primary compound of interest from this reaction, allicin, is generally deactivated during cooking due to its instability, and may be more beneficial consumed raw.
When crushed, Allium sativum yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal compound (phytoncide). However due to poor bioavailability it is of limited use for oral consumption. It also contains alliin, ajoene, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals, and flavonoids.
The percentage composition of the bulbs is given by E. Solly (Trans. Hon. Soc. Loud., new ser., iii. p. 60) as water 84.09%, organic matter 13.38%, and inorganic matter 1.53% - that of the leaves being water 87.14%, organic matter 11.27% and inorganic matter 1.59%.
Garlic flowerhead
The phytochemicals responsible for the sharp flavor of garlic are produced when the plant\'s cells are damaged. When a cell is broken by chopping, chewing, or crushing, enzymes stored in cell vacuoles trigger the breakdown of several sulfur-containing compounds stored in the cell fluids. The resultant compounds are responsible for the sharp or hot taste and strong smell of garlic. Some of the compounds are unstable and continue to evolve over time. Among the members of the onion family, garlic has by far the highest concentrations of initial reaction products, making garlic much more potent than onions, shallots, or leeks.McGee p. 310–311 Although people have come to enjoy the taste of garlic, these compounds are believed to have evolved as a defensive mechanism, deterring animals like birds, insects, and worms from eating the plant.Macpherson et al. section "Conclusion"
A large number of sulfur compounds contribute to the smell and taste of garlic. Diallyl disulfide is believed to be an important odour component. Allicin has been found to be the compound most responsible for the "hot" sensation of raw garlic. This chemical opens thermoTRP (transient receptor potential) channels that are responsible for the burning sense of heat in foods. The process of cooking garlic removes allicin, thus mellowing its spiciness.Macpherson et al.
When eaten in quantity, garlic may be strongly evident in the diner\'s sweat and breath the following day. This is because garlic\'s strong smelling sulfur compounds are metabolized forming allyl methyl sulfide. Allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) cannot be digested and is passed into the blood. It is carried to the lungs and the skin where it is excreted. Since digestion takes several hours, and release of AMS several hours more, the effect of eating garlic may be present for a long time.
This well-known phenomenon of "garlic breath" is alleged to be alleviated by eating fresh parsley. The herb is, therefore, included in many garlic recipes, such as Pistou, Persillade and the garlic butter spread used in garlic bread. However, since the odour results mainly from digestive processes placing compounds such as AMS in the blood, and AMS is then released through the lungs over the course of many hours, eating parsley provides only a temporary masking. One way of accelerating the release of AMS from the body is the use of a sauna. Due to its strong odor, garlic is sometimes called the "stinking rose".
Because of the AMS in the bloodstream, it is believed by some to act as a mosquito repellent. However there is no evidence to suggest that garlic is actually effective for this purpose.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN419
Garlic has been regarded as a force for both good and evil. A Christian myth considers that after Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic arose in his left footprint, and onion in the right.Pickering, David (2003). Cassell\'s Dictionary of Superstitions. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 0-304-36561-0. p. 211 In Europe, many cultures have used garlic for protection or white magic, perhaps owing to its reputation as a potent preventative medicine.McNally, Raymond T (1994). In Search of Dracula. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-65783-0. p. 120. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against demons, werewolves, and vampires.McNally, Raymond T (1994). In Search of Dracula. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-65783-0. p. 120. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn, hung in windows or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.McNally p. 122; Pickering p. 211.
Colloidal silver is often used as antibacterial agent. As with silver, the association of garlic to evil spirits may be based on the antibacterial, antiparasitic value of garlic, which could prevent infections that lead to delusions, and other related mental illness symptoms.University of Maryland GarlicNeurodegenerative diseases
In Northeastern India, it is believed that garlic mixed with water spread around the home will keep snakes from entering.[citation needed]
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