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Garlic: allium sativum
Garden plant: widely available
Parts used: Bulb
Gathering: Bulbs grown at
home should be unearthed in September when the leaves start to die back. They
should be stored in a cool dry place. Alternatively, garlic can be gathered all
year round in any grocers or supermarket.
Actions:
Antiseptic,Anti-spasmodic, Anti-viral,Cholagogue, Diaphoretic
Hypotensive.
Indications:Despite the fact that Garlic is often overlooked it is nevertheless a most amazing medicine. Garlic gives
the body a great deal of support and protection against disease. It is almost
without equal amongst plants as an anti-microbial agent, it is effective
against bacteria, alimentary parasites and viruses.
Garlic is particularly useful for
lung problems and should always be considered when the respiratory system is
under stress. Conditions such as bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, recurrent
colds and influenza all benefit from treatment with garlic. It may also be
useful in the treatment of whooping cough and as part of a regime for those
with bronchitic asthma.
Garlic will act as a preventive
for most infectious conditions both respiratory and digestive.
Taken over a long period of time
garlic will reduce cholesterol levels and lower high blood pressure. It can
also be used externally to treat ringworm.
Preparation and dosage: A
clove should be eaten three times a day.
Folklore, History and Kitchen
Witch: Garlic is under the dominion of Mars and it t is fitting that the
god of war should rule a plant whose name, of Anglo Saxon origin, is Gar (a
spear) and Lac (a plant) or spear plant…
Garlic has been used as a
medicine since time immemorial. According to Leslie Gordon garlic was known by
the Chinese as early as 2000 BC and has been used medicinally by them ever
since. The first century Roman writer, Pliny the elder, claimed that the
Egyptians honoured garlic as a deity at the taking of oaths. He also attested
garlic’s continuing popularity as an effective cure all by ascribing sixty-one
remedies to it in his Natural History.
In 1649 Culpepper included the
wonders of garlic in his Complete Herbal where he claims that this
ordinary kitchen item would: provoke the urine and women’s courses, help the
biting of mad dogs, and other venomous creatures; kill the worms in children,
cut and void tough phlegm, purge the head, help the lethargy and be a good
preservative against, and a remedy for, any plague, sore or foul ulcer’… this is indeed an altogether impressive
list for this familiar vegetable.
It is common knowledge that
garlic is proof against vampires and even, on occasion, the advances of unwanted
lovers. Garlic’s reputation as a herb of protection, which is also another nod
to its planetary ruler Mars, goes way back into antiquity. According to
Theophrastus (371 -378 BC) garlic was left on piles of stones at crossroads as
a supper for Hecate the ‘changing woman’ whose protection was eagerly sought by
all. In his Odyssey Homer writes that the god Hermes gave garlic to
Ulysses as an antidote to the evil magic of Circe, this highlights the use of
garlic against dark magic. The use of garlic as a herb of protection has
remained popular in neo-pagan circles largely because of this long held belief
in its power against evil. Actually, should it be necessary to deter unwanted
spirits of any kind you could do worse that hang Garlands of garlic around your
doors and place bulbs or cloves of garlic on windowsills with a sprinkle of
salt.
Garlic is a component of the very famous "Marseilles Vinegar"
or "Four Thieves Vinegar". There are many variations on both the
legend of the four thieves and the recipe for their vinegar, but briefly, and
as it was told to me, the story surrounds four French men who plundered the
homes of plague victims around Marseille in the 1600’s and yet remained
unaffected by the plague themselves. They were captured and, as the penalty for
looting was death, they bargained for their lives by offering the magistrate
the recipe for their vinegar. It
is said that he happily accepted their offer and that they were spared.
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