Medicinal Garlic
Medicinal Garlic- How to Grow and Use Your Own Medicinal Garlic
Medicinal garlic has been used for thousands of years now. We now know that the ancient Egyptians were using it for their medicine. The role of this herb in those days seems to have been as something of a cure-all. As time went on the number of uses for the cloves has generally gotten smaller, however recently there is a return to interest in using medicinal garlic.
Additionally over time the number of varieties has increased. What started out as a one plant from central Asia has mutated into many different varieties. Rocambole for example, retains similar properties to its Asian ancestor, growing best in countries that have long wet and warm springs and hot, dry summers. The artichoke on the other hand has become the ultimate cosmopolitan, growing well anywhere it is farmed.
Growing Medicinal Garlic
The cultivation of this wonderful herb is actually surprisingly easy, the only requirement is that the temperature is mild or warm (Although it is possible to grow it in colder climates). The plants grow fine even when planted close together, so a patch can be a great way to efficiently use the space in your garden. For those who like growing herbs in pots, medicinal garlic grows fantastically well inside as part of a home herb garden.
Unlike most herbs for growing which do best planted in early spring, your bulbs should be planted in the fall (Autumn) as it needs a little time to grow its roots before the chilling winter. You will want to also give it a little protection over the winter by removing the clove’s ’skin’ (Which has a risk of having parasites in it). Many gardeners then use alcohol or baking soda to wash the cloves to protect them from fungi. Of course, this should be done quickly as over-exposure to alcohol is dangerous to the plant. I recommend no more than 3 minutes in the wash.
Over the winter the medicinal garlic seems to enter a kind of dormancy, so there is little that the gardener needs to do. When the weather starts to heat up, the herb grows. This is a time to be careful if you have a really hot spring as this is one plant that is amazingly prone to bolting. This is also a good time to fertilize your plant to ensure the best growth. You will want to water occasionally, then stop watering a week or two before you harvest it, so it is easier to store.
Many gardeners transport the bulb to a cool, dry place during the summer months. This is done to reduce the chance of garlic bolting and to ensure that the cloves grow as big as possible to be replanted the following season. When the fall arrives, the plant can be carefully divided into cloves and each of these cloves can grow into a fully fledged medicinal garlic plant.
Medicinal Garlic Benefits
Medicinal garlic has a whole range of great benefits and now that interest is back in this herb, more are discovered all the time. Basically it can be used to help in treating most things as it has well established anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. The problem is that how many of these benefits can be passed to humans when they eat it is something of a mystery. Herbal medicine has long been using medicinal garlic for treating the thrush fungi, parasitic worms and the cryptosporidium bacteria.
Medicinal garlic looks very promising for people with blood pressure problems. This is great news for heart disease sufferers, as numerous studies have shown that garlic is a huge help to people with this condition. There is some warning against people on warfarin taking garlic, so they should be careful.
Its use as a treatment for the common cold has been known for centuries and recently research has been pointing towards it being useful in this regard. Definitely one to try with young children. If nothing else it gets them eating more of this wonderful herb.
