Garlic and its medicinal properties have been known for centuries now.
The ancient Egyptians were a fan and early writings show its use in ceremony and medicine.
Early cultures seemed to celebrate the herb as a kind of universal 'cure-all' and it was prescribed for all sorts of ailments.
Over time the uses for medicinal garlic may have gotten smaller, but it still remains a marvelous plant full of benefits.
As time went on the varieties of garlic increased.
The original plant was from central Asia and had similar properties and growing conditions to what we now call a rocambole, growing best in central Asian countries with their warm and moist springs and dry summers.
A related plant is the artichoke which is the cosmopolitan garlic being able to grow almost anywhere.
Growing Garlic Like most of the Asian herbs the cultivation is pretty simple.
You will need a mild climate (Or a simulated one) and that is pretty much it! The only big problem is that fungi and parasites love medicinal garlic (Ironically for a herb that treats infection when mature).
Therefore if planting from clove it is a good idea to remove most of the outer layer (The thin membrane-rich 'skin') and give it a light bath in either diluted alcohol or baking soda before planting to make sure that any infection is quashed.
The reason why garlic is so useful for gardeners is that very little space is needed between bulbs.
In fact they only need a separation of a couple of centimeters to grow effectively.
It is one of the easiest ways to really increase the productivity of your garden.
It also grows really well indoors, as sunlight is not massively important to its growth.
While most herbs do badly if planted over winter, medicinal garlic is a big exception.
It does great! In fact the best time to plant it is in late autumn, then simply leave it to grow.
It will enter a kind of dormancy period over the winter and emerge with explosive growth in the spring.
Luckily this means that it can just be left to its own devices while you wait for it to emerge.
You will want to add some fertilizer in late winter and the occasional watering, just to give it a boost, but that is it! Then simply harvest it (Gardeners tip: stop watering 1-2 weeks before pulling up, so that you get the best flavor).
The only problem with garlic is that it is prone to bolting (See my articles for an explanation of this concept).
Therefore you may want to add mulch to your patch if it is unseasonably hot.
Other gardeners transport their herb indoors during the summer.
This reduces bolting and makes the cloves grow bigger, so it is a double benefit.
If you want strong cloves for replanting the next season, this is a good way to ensure that.
The Benefits of Medicinal Garlic Medicinal garlic and its use in medicine has been known for a long time.
Recently researchers have become more interested in it again.
The plant has amazing anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, so these look promising for research.
For years now medicinal garlic has been used for treating the fungus that causes thrush, intestinal worm infections and for cryptosporidium bacterial infections.
Likewise the use of it for treatment of high blood pressure shows promise.
While the findings are mixed there is definite signs that it will offer help with heart complications.
However it does also cause problems used with drugs such as warfarin, so careful check the details of your medicine before using medicinal quantities.
Finally there is its treatment for the common cold that has made it one of the secrets to the success of soup in treating colds.
Medicinal garlic has this great potential and with the incidences of the cold rising year-on-year it is always a good idea to be prepared.