GARLIC

Latin name: Allium sativum

Other name(s): Da suan; Allium odorum; Allium chinensis; Allium scorodoprasum; Chinese chive,
Indonesian name: Bawang Putih

The plant grows to a height of 10 – 15 centimeters, with cylindrical stalks rising from a leaved base, long narrow leaves, and round bulbs that grow in clusters, or “heads”. It has been used as food and medicine in China for at least five thousand years, although traditionally it has been a forbidden food for Buddhist monks in China, due to the presence of a volatile oil that is said to excite sensory appetites, particularly lust. Garlic has long been known to protect people from all sorts of parasites, microbes, toxins, and other noxious elements contained in food and water, and therefore it’s a very effective preventive against a wide range of infectious agents that can enter the body through the digestive tract.

The garlic plant grows worldwide, in many species, but the variety referred to here is native to China, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, and northern India

MEDICINAL PART: Bulb

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS: Anthelmintic; antibacterial; antifungal; antiseptic; antidote; stomachic; tonic; eliminates accumulated mucus and phlegm; digestive, especially for meat; increase gastric, intestinal, and bronchial secretions; inhibits tumor growth; lowers blood pressure

INDICATIONS: tumors and swelling; tuberculosis; hookworm, pinworm, and other parasites; diarrhea and dysentery; nosebleed; bacterial infections; abscesses; high cholesterol; arteriosclerosis; high blood pressure; colds and flu; vaginitis; Candida and other fungal infections; athlete's foot

DOSAGE AND USAGE: Fresh cloves: 3 – 5 per day; taken raw in food, or in capsules. External: puree of fresh garlic cloves can be applied to abscesses as an antiseptic and healing agent, also to ringworm on the head; for athlete’s foot, apply liberally to infected area and wrap well with a clean, dry cloth for 1 – 2 hours, then remove and wipe away excess garlic with dry cloth (but no water)

Cold preventive: if you’re susceptible to “catching cold”, a traditional Chinese preventive is to peel and puree ten cloves of fresh garlic, then extract the pure juice through a cloth; store the juice in a clean jar with dropper; put one drop in each nostril three time a day; this is said to be highly effective preventive against contagious colds

SIDE EFFECTS: Excessive use of garlic is said to be harmful to the eyes, cause dizziness, and scatter energy

REMARKS: Garlic has remarkable antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and numerous scientific studies have shown it to have a broader range of bactericidal powers than penicillin. One milligram of its major active compound, allicin, has the equivalent antibacterial power of 15 standard units of penicillin. It is also effective against many fungal infections, including Candida, which responsible for most cases of vaginitis.

A traditional Chinese cure for tuberculosis involves placing a thick compress of chopped raw garlic on the patient’s back, covering it with a clean damp cloth, then using a laundry iron to heat the compress and force the garlic fumes through the skin into the chest cavity, where they kill the bacteria responsible for the ailment

The therapeutic benefits of garlic have been established beyond doubt by numerous modern studies conducted throughout the world. It has been conclusively shown that allicin effectively lowers serum cholesterol by blocking its biosynthesis. Another active sulphur compound contained in garlic, methyl allyl trisulfide, helps expand constricted blood vessels, thereby preventing high blood pressure. Yet another compound called ajoene inhibits the tendency of blood cells to stick together (platelet aggregation), thereby helping to prevent stroke, heart attack, and other heart diseases caused by blood clots and restricted flow of blood.

A remarkable study on garlic in China involves eleven patients suffering from cryptococcal meningitis, which is usually fatal. All eleven patients were successfully treated and recovered after several weeks of garlic therapy. Recent independent studies in Japan and Romania have also shown garlic to be effective in protecting living organisms from the influenza virus.