GARLIC: (Allium sativum)

Garlic has a clustered bulb made up of several bulblets (cloves) enclosed in a papery tunic. It has a single stem with long, thin leaves and an ubmel of edible, rose-tinted white summer flowers and a bulb whose flavour increases the more it is sliced or crushed. Cooking with fresh ginger prevents the slight nausea some experience with Garlic. Garlic repels insects and can be applied to their bites and stings. The cloves add flavour to savoury dishes, especially in hot countries where the plants develop the best flavour. Garlic purifies the blood, helps control acne, and reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and clotting.

Tests confirm antibiotic activity against samples of candida, cholora, staphylococcus, salmonella, dysentery, and typhus: and a mild anti-fungal action. Garlic clears phlegm, thus providing treatment for colds, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and whooping cough. New tests suggest it has a role in treating lead poisoning, some carcinomas and diabetes. It’s said that growing garlic around potatoes reduces potato blight. The garlic bulb is one of the great herbal “polycrests” – herbs of many uses. Fresh garlic is a preventative and a cure for intestinal worms. It is generally taken in one-teaspoon doses, three to six times a day, with some grated fresh ginger root. Garlic is a natural antibiotic for internal and external use. Mash it and use as a wound dressing. For a sore throat, lightly roast unpeeled cloves in a dry frying pan, peel them when they grow soft, and eat them. For pinworms, a slightly smashed fresh clove can be inserted into the rectum with olive oil. For vaginal infections, smash a few cloves and wrap them in cheese cloth. Insert directly into the vagina. Fresh raw garlic is more effective than the powdered and extracted forms available for sale. Garlic has been shown to be more effective than tetracycline as an antibiotic.  CAUTION: Pregnant women and persons with “hot and fiery” temperaments should avoid overuse of garlic.

1. a) Parts Used:  Bulb
2. b) Magical Use:  In the home, braids of garlic guard against evil, repel thieves, and turn away the envious. And of course, garlic protects against vampires. It is a very effective blessing for a new home. Garlic was eaten on festival days to Hecate and was left at a crossroads as a sacrifice in Her name. Garlic was once worn to guard against the plague. It is still used to absorb diseases. Simply rub flesh, peeled cloves of garlic onto the afflicted part of the body then throw into running water. An old spell utilized garlic in protecting against hepatitis. To do this, simply wear thirteen cloves of garlic at the end of a cord around the neck for thirteen days. On the last day, in the middle of the night, walk to a corner of an intersection of two streets, remove the necklace, throw it behind you and run home without looking back Garlic is also extremely protective. Sailors carry some while on board ship to protect against its wrecking. Soldiers wore garlic as a defence in the middle ages, while Roman soldiers ate it to give them courage. Worn, garlic guards against foul weather (mountaineers wear it) as well as monsters, and it also shields you from the blows of your enemies. When evil spirits are about, bite into garlic to send them away, or sprinkle powdered garlic on the floor (if you don’t mind smelling it for some time.) Garlic is placed beneath children’s pillows to protect them while asleep, and brides once carried a clove of garlic in the pocket for good luck and to keep evil far from her on her big day. Rubbed onto pots and pans before cooking, it removes negative vibrations which might otherwise contaminate the food. When eaten, garlic acts as a lust-Inducer, and when a magnet or lodestone is rubbed with garlic it loses its magical powers.