English Name: Garlic
Arabic Name: at-thum
Urdu Name: Lehsun
Family: Liliaceae | Distribution: Cultivated throughout Egypt, Italy, France, India, Pakistan, China, USA
Parts used: Bulb
Medicinal Uses | Garlic also has a long history of medicinal use for a wide variety of conditions (or cure-all). In folk medicine, garlic has been used to treat bronchitis and respiratory problems, gastrointestinal problems, flatulence, leprosy, menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, diabetes, and has been used externally for warts, corns, arthritis, muscle pain, neuralgia, and sciatica. Recently, science has begun to confirm some of garlic’s long-standing medicinal uses. Garlic has been shown to lower blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar in studies and clinical trials and has also demonstrated anti-cancer, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-oxidant effects. Garlic contains compounds that are antibacterial, antifungal, and reduce blood clotting. In order for the active ingredient that gives garlic its characteristic odor and its therapeutic effects to be released, the garlic clove must be cut or crushed. This releases an enzyme that causes the formation of allicin, the component responsible for garlic’s odor and medicinal activity.
