garlic

Garlic is a perennial bulb of the onion family. It grows about 30 cm/12 in high, and has pale spherical flowers. It has been used since ancient Egyptian times as a herb. In the Middle Ages, it was thought to keep away vampires, perhaps because of the strong smell imparted to the breath of regular users.

Perennial Asian plant belonging to the lily family, whose strong-smelling and sharp-tasting bulb, made up of several small segments, or cloves, is used in cooking. The plant has white flowers. It is widely cultivated and has been used successfully as a fungicide in the cereal grass sorghum. It also has antibacterial properties. (Allium sativum, family Liliaceae.)

In tests carried out in 1994, US doctors found freshly pressed garlic extract killed a number of bacteria, including drug-resistant strains, even when diluted to one part in 250. Its effectiveness is probably due to allicin, a simple organic disulphide.