Common Name: Garlic

General Information

Allium sativum is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing 6 - 12 leaves 15 - 60cm long and a flowering scape 25 - 80cm tall from a single, underground bulb. The plant divides, forming in time a cluster of plants[, ]. In cultivation the plant is grown as an annual - individual cloves being planted in early winter or spring and the bulbs being harvested in the summer.
Garlic has a very long history of use as a food and a medicine[]. It was given to the Egyptian labourers when building the pyramids because it was believed to confer strength and protect from disease, it was also widely used by the Romans[]. It is widely cultivated in most parts of the world for its edible bulb, which is used mainly as a flavouring in foods.

Known Hazards

There have been cases of poisoning caused by the consumption, in large quantities and by some mammals, of this species. Dogs seem to be particularly susceptible[].

Botanical References

Range

C. Asia? Original habitat is obscure. An occasional garden escape in Britain[].

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

Garlic was originally a plant of warm temperate areas with a distinct cold season and a change of daylength from short days in the winter to long days in the summer. In Spring, when days are cooler and shorter, the plant focuses mainly on leaf growth, but with lengthening, hotter days the focus moves to bulb production[]. The plant can be grown in tropical areas, but only really succeeds at elevations above 500 metres, and preferably below 2,00 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 30°c, but can tolerate 7 - 35°c[]. It is able to tolerate temperatures down to at least -10°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 750 - 1,600mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,700mm[].
Succeeds in most soils but prefers a sunny position in a moist light well-drained soil[, , , ]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.6, tolerating 5 - 8.5[]. Dislikes very acid soils[]. The bulb is liable to rot if grown in a wet soil[, ].
The plant takes 90 - 180 days from planting to harvesting. Yields are within the range of 5 - 10 t/ha[].
The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply[].
Whilst bulb formation occurs in response to increasing daylength and temperature, it is also influenced by the temperature at which the cloves were stored prior to planting. Cool storage at temperatures between 0 - 10°c will hasten subsequent bulb formation, storage at above 25°c will delay or prevent bulb formation[, ].
There are a number of named varieties[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - raw or cooked. Widely used, especially in southern Europe, as a flavouring in a wide range of foods, both raw and cooked[]. Garlic is a wonderfully nutritious and health giving addition to the diet, but it has a very strong flavour and so is mainly used in very small quantities as a flavouring in salads and cooked foods[, , , , ]. A nutritional analysis is available[]. The bulbs can be up to 6cm in diameter[].

Leaves - raw or cooked. Chopped and used in salads, they are rather milder than the bulbs[, ]. The Chinese often cultivate garlic especially for the leaves, since these can be produced in the middle of winter in mild winters[].

The flowering stems are used as a flavouring and are sometimes sold in Chinese shops[].

The sprouted seed is added to salads[].

Medicinal

Garlic has a very long folk history of use in a wide range of ailments, particularly ailments such as ringworm, Candida and vaginitis where its fungicidal, antiseptic, tonic and parasiticidal properties have proved of benefit[]. The plant produces inhibitory effects on gram-negative germs of the typhoid-paratyphoid-enteritis group, indeed it possesses outstanding germicidal properties[] and can keep amoebic dysentery at bay[]. It is also said to have anticancer activity[]. It has also been shown that garlic aids detoxification of chronic lead poisoning[]. Daily use of garlic in the diet has been shown to have a very beneficial effect on the body, especially the blood system and the heart. For example, demographic studies suggest that garlic is responsible for the low incidence of arteriosclerosis in areas of Italy and Spain where consumption of the bulb is heavy[]. Recent research has also indicated that garlic reduces glucose metabolism in diabetics, slows the development of arteriosclerosis and lowers the risk of further heart attacks in myocardial infarct patients[, ]. Externally, the expressed juice is an excellent antiseptic for treating wounds[].
The fresh bulb is much more effective medicinally than stored bulbs, extended storage greatly reduces the anti-bacterial action[].
The bulb is said to be anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, stimulant, stings, stomachic, tonic, vasodilator[, , , , , ].

Agroforestry Uses:

The growing plant is said to repel insects, rabbits and moles[, ].
Garlic grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes[, , ]. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other[].

Other Uses

The juice from the bulb is used as an insect repellent[, ]. It has a very strong smell and some people would prefer to be bitten[]. The juice can also be applied to any stings in order to ease the pain[, ]. 3 - 4 tablespoons of chopped garlic and 2 tablespoons of grated soap can be infused in 1 litre of boiling water, allowed to cool and then used as an insecticide[].

An excellent glue can be made from the juice[], when this is spread on glass it enables a person to cut clean holes in the glass[], The juice is also used as a glue in mending glass and china[].

An extract of the plant can be used as a fungicide[]. It is used in the treatment of blight and mould or fungal diseases of tomatoes and potatoes[]. If a few cloves of garlic are spread amongst stored fruit, they will act to delay the fruit from rotting[].

Propagation

Plant out the cloves with their noses just below the soil surface[].

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