Garlic

Garlic

by Wanderer MoonChild

🌱 Botanical Basics

1. Common Name(s): Garlic
2. Folk Name(s): Stinking Rose, Poor Man’s Treacle, Nectar of the Gods
3. Scientific/Latin Name: Allium sativum
4. Family: Amaryllidaceae (formerly Liliaceae)
5. Plant Type: Hardy perennial grown as an annual; bulbous herb
6. Botanical Description: Garlic grows from a bulb made of multiple cloves wrapped in papery skin. Each clove can sprout into a new plant. Leaves are flat, linear, grass-like, and hollow. The flowering stalk (scape) produces an umbel of white to pinkish flowers, though cultivated garlic rarely flowers.
7. Growing Zones/Climate: USDA Zones 3–9; prefers temperate climates with cold winters and warm summers.
8. Best Zones for Growth: Zones 4–7 are ideal, as garlic needs a period of cold dormancy to produce large bulbs.
9. Habitat & Range: Native to Central Asia, especially regions of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan; now cultivated worldwide.

🌿 Cultivation & Harvest

1. Soil & Sun Requirements: Well-drained, loose, fertile soil with pH 6–7; full sun exposure (at least 6–8 hrs/day).
2. Propagation: Propagated from cloves rather than true seed; plant in fall for harvest in midsummer.
3. Companion Planting: Benefits carrots, beets, tomatoes, roses, and fruit trees by deterring pests; should not be planted near peas or beans.
4. Harvesting Guidelines: Harvest when lower leaves yellow and tops begin to dry; bulbs should be dug carefully to avoid bruising.
5. Drying/Preservation: Cure bulbs in a dry, airy, shaded spot for 2–3 weeks. Store in mesh bags or braid the stalks. Can be preserved in oil (with caution), vinegar, dried flakes, or frozen.

🌸 Traditional & Historical Use

1. Cultural Significance: Revered since ancient Egypt for strength and vitality; Roman soldiers ate garlic before battle; used in European folklore as protection against evil spirits and vampires.
2. Traditional Medicine: Used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese, and Western herbal medicine as a tonic for circulation, digestion, and immunity.
3. Symbolism: Associated with protection, strength, purification, and warding off harm.

🌼 Medicinal & Practical Properties

1. Active Constituents: Allicin (antimicrobial compound released when garlic is crushed), sulfur compounds, selenium, flavonoids, vitamins B6 & C, manganese.
2. Medicinal Uses: Antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic; supports cardiovascular health (lowers cholesterol and blood pressure); boosts immune function; expectorant for colds/flu; aids digestion.
3. Preparation Methods: Raw cloves, infused oils, tinctures, syrups, teas, poultices.
4. Dosage & Guidelines:
   
5. Fresh garlic: 1–2 cloves daily for general health.
6. Dried powder: 600–1200 mg daily.
7. Tincture: 2–4 ml up to 3x daily.
   
8. Safety/Precautions: May irritate stomach in sensitive individuals; blood-thinning effect—use caution with anticoagulants or surgery; avoid excessive amounts during pregnancy.

🌙 Magical & Spiritual Properties

1. Elemental Association: Fire (sometimes Earth depending on tradition).
2. Planetary/Deity Correspondence: Mars (strength, protection); sometimes associated with Hecate and protective household spirits.
3. Magical Correspondences: Protection, banishing negativity, strength, courage, health, purification.
4. Ritual Use: Hung in doorways to ward off evil; burned or placed on altars for protection; added to spells for strength or healing.
5. Symbolism in Divination/Dreams: Dreaming of garlic may signify protection, hidden strength, or upcoming challenges where resilience is needed.

🌍 Ecological & Culinary Uses

1. Pollinator Value: Flowers (when allowed to bloom) attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
2. Wildlife Uses: Deters deer, rabbits, and many garden pests with its strong odor.
3. Culinary Uses: Foundational seasoning in nearly every global cuisine; eaten raw, roasted, sautéed, pickled, fermented (black garlic), or powdered.
4. Household/Practical Uses: Natural insect repellent; garlic sprays deter garden pests; historically used as an antiseptic wash.

⚡ Fast Facts

1. Quick Uses: Eat raw for immune boost; infuse in oil for ear infections (carefully, not for long storage); use as garden pest repellent.
2. Notable Traits: One of the oldest cultivated medicinal plants; sulfur compounds are responsible for both its smell and healing power.
3. Special Notes: Garlic’s protective folklore is nearly universal—from warding off vampires in Europe to dispelling the “evil eye” in Mediterranean cultures.

📖 Supporting Notes

1. References:
   
2. Chevallier, Andrew. Herbal Medicine.
3. Duke, James A. The Green Pharmacy.
4. Ody, Penelope. The Complete Medicinal Herbal.
5. Grieve, Maud. A Modern Herbal.
6. U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Database.