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Garlic: The Culinary Herb
By Diana Rogers
Herbal cures may not be instantaneous but they sure work for me. I must say from personal experience I use garlic whether I have a cold or not. If you find the smell of garlic a bit overpowering I believe you can take garlic supplements. As a little Greek girl growing up, whenever I picked up a cold bug, I remember my mother taking a garlic clove and doing the sign of the cross over my face and chest. When you’re little, from a tot’s perspective, you would think one just experienced some type of vampire act from a movie scene. Statistics have proven that people the world over are a superstitious lot. However, the Greek people are among those classed as the most superstitious. But seriously, my mother was simply doing what her mother showed my mom; wisdom from my grandma. The strong belief that garlic can help you to feel better is a good tradition amongst our family. What’s so great about garlic? Garlic has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Basically it boosts your immune system to keep you from getting a cold. There are numerous physical benefits from this powerful plant belonging to the onion family. Allicin is a strong antibiotic agent produced when the alliin and alliinase are merged together, as happens when a fresh garlic clove is crushed or chewed. The Greek word for garlic is skordo. Hippocrates classified it as a sudorific drug, bad for the eyes, and to be used for medicinal purposes only. Many of my Greek relatives use mashed garlic as a poultice for chest colds that they swear is effective. There’s a Garlic sauce that is considered to be an excellent cold preventative. It’s not difficult to understand why; no one will come near you after you eat it. 1/4 c. water
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup mashed potatoes or 4 slices fresh bread
1/2 cup walnuts, pine nuts or almonds (optional)
2 Tbl. vinegar & 1/2 cup olive oil, or 1/2 c. mayonnaise & 1 tsp. vinegar Put ingredients in order listed in blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled as a sauce over fish, meat or vegetables. The sauce should have the consistency of mayonnaise. This is a frugal sauce, called Skorthalia, which is a garlic dip that is enjoyed by Greek islanders. In antiquity, garlic sauces traveled around the Mediterranean with the seafaring Greeks and appear as far from Greece as Provence and Andalucia under different guises and names. However, they all stem from Skorothalmi, a favorite of Ancient Athenians. Yes, I also take the herb Echinacea and love to drink a cup of mint tea. In addition, I cook with several cloves of garlic for dinner meals, so I highly recommend garlic for colds. It works for me but I totally understand and respect other viewpoints concerning one’s health issues. This powerful herb, yes garlic is an herb, has scientific research showing that people taking garlic suffer less from colds. Garlic is amazing for the lungs, too. This is a great way to fight bacterial infections, including a cup of garlic tea or some place cloves between their toes and place a sock over their feet and head for bed, hoping to wake up and feel good. “No other herb comes close to the multiple system actions of garlic, its antibiotic activity, and its immune-potentiating power.” - Stephen Buhner in Herbal Antibiotics.
I have been gardening for 37 years. I enjoy eating from the abundance of the land and sharing good, healthy fruits and vegetables with family and friends.
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Contributor's Note
Whether you call it a perennial or medicinal plant, perhaps an antioxidant or herb, being Greek... I have discovered that I absolutely LOVE garlic!
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Garlic Plant
Garlic Bulb
Garlic Harvest
Garlic Storage
Garlic Press
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Garlic is also a great meat tenderiser. You can buy much cheaper cuts of meat and insert thin slices of garlic into deep cuts. The meat will be very tender and have a full blooded flavour.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Love it with lamb; I'll give it a try w/ other cuts. Thanks!
I have not used garlic medicinally, but it finds its way into a great many of the foods that I prepare. Great intel.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thanks for your kind words June.
I'm living in an area where the water is less than great. My family has stomach problems on a regular basis. When it happens we crush garlic in water and drink 3 times a day for 3 days. Tastes terrible but it works almost every time.
 | | adac Feb 25, 2011 18:17 | |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Yes, and I remember drinking apple cider vinegar in water and feeling the same way but it was good for me. I appreciate you stopping by, thank you.
Garlic is a great resource for fighting a fresh cold, garlic tea 1 cup boiling water
3 cloves garlic
Tsp honey for bettdr taste Excellent article thanks for sharing :)
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
'Gotta add the honey... thanks for stopping by! :)
Not to mention the great flavor it imparts on a lot of dishes. Thank you for the intel.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Nora, that sums it up so well, thank you! Indeed, it is that GREAT flavor.
Thank you for sharing this detailed information on garlic, Diana.
We love to use garlic in our cooking, but I hadn't given a thought to raising it in the garden. We'll have to give it a try.
Best wishes.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Where I live, garlic isn't too expensive to buy... I just like to grow it along with onions because it's easy and pretty much takes care of itself. Thanks so much for stopping by Frederick. Best wishes to you and yours,
D.
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This intel was contributed by LadyD
LadyD
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