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Description
Garlic is a plant whose leaves, seeds, or flowers are used for flavoring food or in medicine. Other uses of herbs include cosmetics, dyes, and perfumes. Garlic is from the Alliaceae family like its close relatives chives, leek, and onions. The edible herb most commonly associated with the name is the bulb of garlic cloves that is found underground, below the leafy, scallion-like growth. Hard-neck and soft-neck are the two basic varieties. One key difference is that hard-neck sends up a flower stalk, called a scape, which is another edible portion of the plant. The scape is less well known in the U.S., possibly because most grown for commercial use is soft-neck. A garlic bulb, composed of 4-60 cloves, can be 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter and grow to a height of 10 inches to 5 feet. The flowers are white with a rose or green cast. The bulbs themselves are creamy white and may have a purplish hue, as may the paper-like covering that surrounds the bulb and encloses each clove.
Medicinal
Garlic has many healing properties, but the most research has been done on its potential to help reduce heart disease. Garlic has been intensively studied, and numerous large studies have shown that taking supplements that mimic fresh garlic can significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels without hurting beneficial HDL cholesterol levels. Garlic appears to act by blocking the liver from making too much LDL cholesterol.
There is also some evidence that garlic supplements can mildly lower blood pressure by dilating or expanding blood vessels. And garlic helps prevent blood clots and therefore reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by decreasing the stickiness of platelets, which are tiny disk-shaped bodies in the blood that are necessary for blood clotting. When platelets are too sticky, they form clumps that can adhere to artery walls and contribute to clogged arteries.
Garlic has also been shown to reduce pain and other symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis. And it reduces the size of some cancerous tumors and helps prevent some cancers, particularly those in the intestines. However, the research on this is not nearly as far advanced as that for garlic and heart disease, so do not use garlic supplements without consulting with a natural health care professional.
One of the oldest uses of garlic, however, is as an antibiotic. Garlic kills a range of microbes, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and can be effective against such conditions as athlete's foot, thrush (a fungal infection of the mouth), viral diarrhea, and the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Only fresh garlic or supplements that mimic it have these effects.
Sources
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-garlic.htm#
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/alternative/
Recipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/garlic/
Disclaimer:
This information is for educational purposes only. Plant Sale does not and can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Plant Sale makes no claims to the medicinal/edible effects of these plants. In fact, plants may be harmful or even deadly if taken for the wrong conditions, used in excessive amounts, or combined with other drugs. Consult your doctor about your health conditions and the use of plant-based remedies. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally/edibly. The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA. Use information wisely and at your own risk.
Garlic is a plant whose leaves, seeds, or flowers are used for flavoring food or in medicine. Other uses of herbs include cosmetics, dyes, and perfumes. Garlic is from the Alliaceae family like its close relatives chives, leek, and onions. The edible herb most commonly associated with the name is the bulb of garlic cloves that is found underground, below the leafy, scallion-like growth. Hard-neck and soft-neck are the two basic varieties. One key difference is that hard-neck sends up a flower stalk, called a scape, which is another edible portion of the plant. The scape is less well known in the U.S., possibly because most grown for commercial use is soft-neck. A garlic bulb, composed of 4-60 cloves, can be 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter and grow to a height of 10 inches to 5 feet. The flowers are white with a rose or green cast. The bulbs themselves are creamy white and may have a purplish hue, as may the paper-like covering that surrounds the bulb and encloses each clove.
Medicinal
Garlic has many healing properties, but the most research has been done on its potential to help reduce heart disease. Garlic has been intensively studied, and numerous large studies have shown that taking supplements that mimic fresh garlic can significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels without hurting beneficial HDL cholesterol levels. Garlic appears to act by blocking the liver from making too much LDL cholesterol.
There is also some evidence that garlic supplements can mildly lower blood pressure by dilating or expanding blood vessels. And garlic helps prevent blood clots and therefore reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by decreasing the stickiness of platelets, which are tiny disk-shaped bodies in the blood that are necessary for blood clotting. When platelets are too sticky, they form clumps that can adhere to artery walls and contribute to clogged arteries.
Garlic has also been shown to reduce pain and other symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis. And it reduces the size of some cancerous tumors and helps prevent some cancers, particularly those in the intestines. However, the research on this is not nearly as far advanced as that for garlic and heart disease, so do not use garlic supplements without consulting with a natural health care professional.
One of the oldest uses of garlic, however, is as an antibiotic. Garlic kills a range of microbes, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and can be effective against such conditions as athlete's foot, thrush (a fungal infection of the mouth), viral diarrhea, and the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori. Only fresh garlic or supplements that mimic it have these effects.
Sources
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-garlic.htm#
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/alternative/
Recipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/garlic/
Disclaimer:
This information is for educational purposes only. Plant Sale does not and can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Plant Sale makes no claims to the medicinal/edible effects of these plants. In fact, plants may be harmful or even deadly if taken for the wrong conditions, used in excessive amounts, or combined with other drugs. Consult your doctor about your health conditions and the use of plant-based remedies. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally/edibly. The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA. Use information wisely and at your own risk.