Garlic has many fans that can’t get enough of it, and thus somehow four extra cloves usually end up in the pan. It’s a staple in many of our homes, and for good reason. This beloved member of the onion family has been woven into the fabric of human life for more than 7,000 years as not only a culinary staple, but as one of nature’s most celebrated healers. We’re talking about this amazing allium this April (National Garlic Month) because there’s even more to it than its great flavor.
Celebrate One Bulb to Rule Them All This National Garlic Month
From Ancient Remedy to Modern Wellness
Long before garlic landed in your favorite meal, ancient Egyptians and Chinese healers turned to it for boosting physical stamina, easing respiratory and digestive ailments, and treating parasitic infections. Roman gladiators reportedly ate garlic before battle for endurance and strength. Garlic’s supposed natural “superpowers” even spread beyond medicine, with ancient European folklore believing that garlic’s pungent aroma could repel evil spirits and disease alike, which could explain its such heavy association in battling vampires.
By the Middle Ages, garlic had earned the title of “rustic’s theriac”—an effective cure-all for a number of ailments that was accessible to those not in the ruling class who could more easily afford medication. Many leaned on garlic as an antibiotic and antiseptic, for use in treating wounds, combatting infections like tuberculosis, and warding off the plague. Centuries later, even famed scientist Louis Pasteur explored garlic as a potential solution for killing bacteria.
What We Know Today
These days, we may not use garlic in the same ways, we still understand that garlic offers numerous benefits. Garlic’s medicinal properties are believed to be attributed to its sulfur-containing compounds, like allicin. Allicin is produced when raw garlic cloves are crushed, chopped, or chewed, and is thought to be responsible for garlic’s potent antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant properties.
Some of the ways garlic is utilized in the wellness community today include…
- Cardiovascular support: Research suggests it may help reduce blood pressure, lower “bad” cholesterol, and inhibit plaque from forming in the arteries.
- Immune system booster: Many natural wellness advocates point to garlic as a go-to for immune support, particularly during cold and flu season
- Antibacterial and antiviral properties: As previously mentioned, garlic’s potent antibacterial and antiviral properties are thought to be attributed to allicin
- Liver support: Traditional and integrative wellness practices recognize garlic for its potential to support liver health and detoxification
Staff tip:
Before using your garlic, try chopping or crushing cloves and letting them rest for 10–15 minutes. This enzymatic process allows alliinase to convert alliin into allicin.
Bring It Home (and Into Your Wellness Routine)
Whether you’re cooking something tasty or building your wellness routine, explore both sides of the garlic equation next time you’re at Seward Co-op. Start in Produce, where you’ll find fresh garlic bulbs ready for your next meal. Then, swing by Wellness to see how garlic might fit into your day, with supplements from Community Foods producer Oregon’s Wild Harvest or Herb Pharm’s Mullein Garlic Oil Extract as just a few of the many options. However you choose to incorporate it, join us in celebrating garlic as one of the most enduring and accessible plants in the natural wellness world–and one of the tastiest additions in the kitchen.