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? Garlic
Garlic plants
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Alliaceae Subfamily: Allioideae Tribe: Allieae Genus: Allium Species: A. sativum
Binomial name
Allium sativum L.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulbous perennial plant in the family Alliaceae. It is not known as a wild plant, and is thought to have arisen in cultivation, probably derived from the species Allium longicuspis, which grows wild in southwestern Asia.

The bulb is 4-8 cm diameter (occasionally larger), white to pinkish or purple, and is composed of numerous (8-25) discrete bulblets. The foliage comprises a central stem 25-100 cm tall, with flat or keeled (but not tubular) leaves 30-60 cm long and 2-3 cm broad. The flowers are produced in a small cluster at the top of the stem, often together with several bulblets, and surrounded by a papery basal spathe; each flower is white, pink or purple, with six tepals 3-5 mm long. The flowers are commonly abortive and rarely produce any seeds.

All parts of the plant contain a strongly smelling essential oil, essence of garlic, composed of diallyl sulphide (C₃H₅)₂S. This gives the plant its strong and characteristic odour and acrid taste.

The word 'garlic' derives from Old English gārlēac, meaning "spear leek", from its resemblance to the leek.

Contents 1 Cultivation and plant structure 2 Uses 2.1 Culinary use 2.2 Medicinal use 2.2.1 Components 3 History 4 Classification 5 Preservation 6 Caution 7 Trivia 8 See also 9 References 10 Footnotes 11 External links

Cultivation and plant structure

Garlic is widely used in many forms of cooking for its strong flavour, which is considered to enhance many other flavours. Depending on the form of cooking and the desired result, the flavour is either mellow or intense. It is often paired with onion and tomato. When eaten in quantity, garlic may be strongly evident in the diner's sweat the following day. The well-known phenomenon of "garlic breath" can be alleviated by eating fresh parsley and this is included in many garlic recipes. Because of its strong odour, garlic is sometimes called the "stinking rose".

Because of its wide cultivation, the origins of garlic are not fully certain. It is related to onions and lilies, and cultivated in the same manner as the shallot. The domesticated garlic plant does not produce seeds, but is grown from bulbs. These bulbs, whose segments are usually called "cloves" by cooks, are the part of the plant most commonly eaten, though some cooks also use the early spring shoots. These shoots are often pickled in Russia and states of the Caucasus and eaten as an appetizer. A common error of beginning cooks is to misinterpret the word "clove" as meaning the entire garlic bulb, rather than one of its segments, thereby wildly exaggerating the amount of garlic in a recipe.

The garlic plant has long, narrow, flat, obscurely keeled leaves. The bulb has a flaky, mostly white outer layers of skin like that of an onion. Inside are 2-20 cloves, or smaller bulbs. From these, new bulbs can be procured by planting out in late winter or early spring.

Selfsufficientish.com provides the following growing instructions:

• Plant the individual cloves from a garlic plant in drills of 5 cm (2 in) and 15 cm (6 in) apart. Ideal soil pH is in the 6.2 to 6.8 range.
• Garlic grows best in hot wet conditions, but try it all year round. It is pretty hardy and will live through frosts.
• Ensure that the growing area is weed free.
• Garlic likes water; in a hot climate it may need to be watered daily. If the shoots look dry then it is a sign that the plant needs a 'drink'.

Garlic is ready to harvest about four months after it has been sown. At this point the foliage will lose its colour and die back. Dig up the bulbs with a fork to avoid damaging them.

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%.

Uses

Culinary use

Garlic is most often used as a seasoning or a condiment, and is believed by some to have some medicinal value[1], notably against hypertension. When crushed or finely chopped it yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal compound (phytoncide). It also contains alliin, ajoene, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals, and flavonoids.

Allicin has been determined to be the agent behind the spiciness of raw garlic. This chemical opens thermoTRP (transient receptor potential) channels which are responsible for the sense of noxious heat in foods. The process of cooking garlic removes allicin, thus mellowing its spiciness. (Macpherson et al., 2005)

Medicinal use

Some scientific research indicates that garlic can have some health benefits, such as: diminishment of platelet aggregation[2]; a meta-analysis showing significant (12%) lipid lowering of cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol[3]; treatment of hyperlipidaemia[4]; the significant inhibition of atherosclerosis via the use of aged garlic extract Kyolic[5]; and the protective nature of chronic garlic intake on elastic properties of aorta in the elderly[6].

In modern naturopathy, garlic is used as a treatment for intestinal worms.

Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, (N.H. xx. 23) gives an exceedingly long list of scenarios in which it was considered beneficial. 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.

Garlic cloves continue to be used by aficionados as a remedy for infections (especially chest problems), digestive disorders, and fungal infections such as thrush. They are claimed to be an effective long-term remedy for cardiovascular problems reducing excessive blood cholesterol levels, atherosclerosis, the risk of thrombosis, and hypertension but these claims are disputed as there has been no clinical trial that has demonstrated any such benefits. Whole cloves used as suppositories are sometimes used as a home remedy for Candidiasis (yeast infections). Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels, and so can be helpful in late-onset diabetes, though people taking insulin should not consume medicinal amounts of garlic without consulting a physician. In such applications, garlic must be fresh and uncooked, or the allicin will be lost.

Components

Phytochemicals ^[7]:

1. Allicin
2. Beta-carotene
3. Beta-sitosterol
4. Caffeic acid
5. Chlorogenic acid
6. Diallyl-disulfide
7. Ferulic acid
8. Geraniol
9. Kaempferol
10. Linalool
11. Oleanolic acid
12. P-coumaric acid
13. Phloroglucinol
14. Phytic acid
15. Quercetin
16. Rutin
17. S-allyl cysteine
18. Saponin
19. Sinapic acid
20. Stigmasterol

Nutrients ^[8]:

1. Calcium
2. Folate
3. Iron
4. Magnesium
5. Manganese
6. Phosphorus
7. Potassium
8. Selenium
9. Zinc
10. Vitamin B₁ (Thiamine)
11. Vitamin B₂ (Riboflavin)
12. Vitamin B₃ (Niacin)
13. Vitamin C

History

From the earliest times garlic has been used as an article of diet. It formed part of the food of the Israelites in Egypt (Numb. xi. 5) and of the labourers employed by Cheops in the construction of his pyramid. Garlic is still grown in Egypt, where, however, the Syrian is the kind most esteemed (see Rawlinson's Herodotus, 2.125).

It was largely consumed by the ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, sailors and rural classes (cf. Virg. Ed. ii. II), and, as Pliny tells us (N.H. 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.

Garlic was rare in traditional English cuisine (though it is stated to have been grown in England before 1548), and a much more common ingredient in western and southern Europe, notably in French cuisine. 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. The inhabitants of Pelusium in lower Egypt, who worshipped the onion, are said to have held both it and garlic in aversion as food.

Classification

Classification of culinary garlic can be complex, with numerous cultivars being grown. The broadest division is into "hardneck" and "softneck" types; very broadly speaking, hardnecks have more intense flavours (which are more closely related to their wild ancestor) but lesser storage capabilities, while conversely softnecks are excellent "keepers" but often milder (those are broad-brush simplifications with numerous exceptions and half-exceptions). Within those two types, there are usually felt to be three subdivisions of hardnecks and two of softnecks. One scheme, with some flavour notes from a commercial grower, is this:

• Hardneck:
  • Rocambole - rich, full-bodied flavour
  • Porcelain - much like rocambole
  • Purple Stripe - these often win "baked-garlic" taste tests:
    • Purple Stripe per se
    • Glazed Purple Stripe
    • Marbled Purple Stripe
• Softneck:
  • Artichoke - "milder" flavours:
    • Artichoke per se
    • Asiatic
    • Turban
  • Silverskin:
    • Silverskin per se - the familiar supermarket garlic
    • Creole

The "wild garlic", "crow garlic" and "field garlic" of Britain are the species Allium ursinum, A. vineale and A. oleraceum, respectively. In North America, "wild garlic" or "crow garlic" is Allium vineale, and along with "wild onion" (also known as "meadow garlic" or "wild garlic") Allium canadensis, are common weeds in fields.

Preservation

The types differ not only in culinary qualities, but in storage potential. Under good storage conditions, which are not hard to achieve (room temperature and medium to low humidity), one can hope for these results:

• Asiatic and Turban types: a few months
• Rocambole and Purple Stripe types: 6 months
• Porcelain and Artichoke types: 8 to 10 months
• Silverskin (including Creole) types: up to a full year

Rocamboles, however, have a tendency to dehydrate in storage under dry conditions (less than about 50% humidity).

The bulbs are best preserved hung in a dry place. If of fair size, four to six of them weigh about 500 g (1 lb). To prevent the plant from running to leaf, Pliny (Nat. Hist. xix. 34) advised bending the stalk downward and covering with earth; seeding, he observes, may be prevented by twisting the stalk (by "seeding", he mostly likely means the development of small, less potent bulbs).

Caution

• Garlic is very "heating" and can irritate the stomach.
• While culinary quantities are generally safe, during pregnancy and lactation it can cause digestive problems such as heartburn, and babies may dislike the taste in breast milk.
• All but one of garlic's strong aromatic compounds containing sulphur molecules are metabolised in the guts. Allyl-methyl-sulphide (AMS) can not 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.
• The medicinal effects of taking garlic long-term are largely unknown, and no FDA approved study has been performed.

Trivia

• In the United States, Gilroy, California promotes itself as "Garlic Capital of the World", and hosts the Gilroy Garlic Festival every summer.
• In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed garlic to be Britain's 5th favourite culinary vegetable.
• In legend, garlic is said to ward off vampires and evil spirits in general.

See also

• Elephant garlic
• Garlique dietary supplement

References

• Hamilton, Andy (2004). Selfsufficientish - Garlic. Retrieved 1 May 2005.
• R. Kamenetsky, I. L. Shafir, H. Zemah, A. Barzilay, and H. D. Rabinowitch (2004). Environmental Control of Garlic Growth and Florogenesis. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 129: 144-151.
• Lindsey J. Macpherson, Bernhard H. Geierstanger, Veena Viswanath, Michael Bandell, Samer R. Eid, SunWook Hwang, and Ardem Patapoutian (2005). The pungency of garlic: Activation of TRPA1 and TRPV1 in response to allicin. Current Biology 15 (May 24): 929-934.
• Balch, P. A. (2000). Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd ed. New York: Avery.
• Breithaupt-Grogler, K., et al. (1997). Protective effect of chronic garlic intake on elastic properties of aorta in the elderly. Circulation 96: 2649-2655. Abstract.
• Efendy, J. L., et al. (1997). The effect of the aged garlic extract, 'Kyolic', on the development of experimental atherosclerosis. Arterosclerosis 132: 37-42. Abstract.
• Jain, A. K. (1993). Can garlic reduce levels of serum lipids? A controlled clinical study. American Journal of Medicine 94: 632-635. Abstract.
• Mader, F. H. (1990). Treatment of hyperlipidemia with garlic-powder tablets. Arzneimittel-Forschung/Drug Research 40 (2): 3-8. Abstract.
• Silagy, C., and Neil, A. (1994). Garlic as a lipid-lowering agent - a meta-analysis. Journal of the Royal College of Physicians 28 (1): 2-8. Abstract
• Steiner, M., and Lin, R.S. (1998). Changes in platelet function and susceptibility of lipoproteins to oxidation associated with administration of aged garlic extract. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology 31: 904-908. Abstract
• Yeh, Y-Y., et al. (1999). Garlic extract reduces plasma concentration of homocysteine in rats rendered folic acid deficient. FASEB Journal 13(4): Abstract 209.12.
• Yeh, Y-Y., et al. (1997). Garlic reduced plasma cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic men maintaining habitual diets. In: Ohigashi, H., et al. (eds). Food Factors for Cancer Prevention. Tokyo: Springer-Verlag. Abstract. This is a meta-reference and includes 205 scientific and non-scientific papers from the United States National Library of Medicine [9].

Footnotes

1. ^  Balch, Phyllis A. (2000). Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd ed. New York: Avery. p. 97.
2. ^  Ibid.

External links

• Garlic: An Herb Society of America Guide
• Garlic Central
• Never Trust Anyone Who Doesn't Like Garlic - includes garlic information and views of famous people on garlic.
• Glorious Garlic - Garlic in cooking
• http://www.gilroygarlicfestival.com/ site for the Gilroy Garlic Festival
• Garlic at Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
• Garlic search of Librarian's Index to the Internet
• Garlic for the home gardener
• Garlic: Plants For a Future database
• Treating Vaginal Yeast Infections At Home

Section Herbal information

• HerbMed
• Herbalist David Hoffmann @ Health World
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre
• Longwood Herbal Task Force (pdf)

Section Eclectic herbal information

• King's American Dispensatory @ Henriette's Herbal
• Mrs. Grieve's A Modern Herbal @ Botanical.com

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.

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