The History Of Garlic & Its Uses. But this is not a modern development or discovery. Documents dating from the beginning of recorded history show that garlic was found in Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek temples. “Foods that Lower Cholesterol”. The uses of garlic has a very long and exciting history. The ‘potential’ indicates how much allicin will be released when it reaches your stomach. It is related to onion, leeks, and chives. It was used to treat wounds, fight infection, cure leprosy, and ease digestive disorders. Do not exceed the recommended dose and do not take with prescription blood thinners, without consulting a healthcare professional. Garlic is credited to be first used as foodstuff’s essence and herbs over 6,000 years ago in Central Asia. Alternately, eat one chopped clove of fresh garlic every day. Nonetheless, whether or not garlic can cure rabies or leprosy remains to be seen. Garlic’s health benefits have been recognized and recorded for more than three thousand years. For centuries, orthodox medicine, has kept us in the dark by the outdated Pasteurian concept, that germs are vicious invaders. 12th Century writer Alexander Neckam recommended it as a palliative for the heat of the sun in field labor. Fresh garlic is always better to use as it had higher potency. The history of herbalism is closely tied with the history of medicine from prehistoric times up until the development of the germ theory of disease in the 19th century. This would not surprise me. Records dating from that era suggest that garlic was also used as a food preservative, as listed in Table 5. Share on Pinterest. It was known to ancient Egyptians and has been used as both a food flavoring and a traditional medicine.  =  Garlic Contains Compounds With Potent Medicinal Properties. National Cancer Institute/ NIH, January 22, 2008. “A study performed at the University of Washington found that garlic was an effective treatment against certain types of bacteria, like c. jejeuni, commonly linked to food poisoning. The best estimate is that by or before 2000 BC, garlic was in wide use in China and formed part of the daily diet, particularly when consumed together with raw meat (Kahn 1996, Moyers 1996). Garlic is a plant in … It was largely consumed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, as we may read in Virgil's Eclogues. Garlic has many healing properties, but the most research has been done on its potential to help reduce heart disease. Around the same time, a leading English physician named Sydenham also used Garlic to cure smallpox. They have many proven natural benefits, including antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. I’ve got a guest post up on Books, Health and History, the New York Academy of Medicine’s blog, based on Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine.I’ll be speaking there on Monday, June 5, about the whole history of garlic (to read more about this lecture and to register, go HERE. I'm a freelance writer, blogger, and amateur herbalist who specializes in alternative / holistic health topics. “Arthritis and Garlic”. April 2017, “Garlic History”. You must be careful, however, not to take excess amounts of Garlic or Garlic supplements. Allicin Facts, n.d. It is released only upon digestion, so your body makes and uses the allicin more efficiently. The most famous figures in the history of health and healing strongly advocated garlic for many ills. During World War II, Garlic was known as “Russian penicillin” because it was so effective in treating wound infections when adequate antibiotics were not available. Medicinal History of Garlic • It is reported that in ancient Egypt , the workers who had to build the great pyramids were fed their daily share of garlic as a form of healthy prolongation • In China, garlic tea has long been recommended for fever, headache, and cholera • In rural Japan, miso-soup containing garlic is used as remedy for the common cold with headache, … Good Garlic supplements contain allicin, the precursor to allicin. }. 5 History of Use. “Garlic”. People used to use it as a food as well as medicine for treating health conditions. The use of Garlic by the pyramid builders, who believed garlic gave them greater strength, is inscribed on the Great Pyramid of Cheops. ... because Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, used garlic as an essential component of his therapeutic armamentarium . Learn how your comment data is processed. Those closest to you, proximately and intimately, will appreciate it. 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