Garlic
The Poor Man’s Treacle
“ONCE in so often,” King Solomon said,
Watching his quarrymen drill the stone,
“We will curb our garlic and wine and bread
And banquet together beneath my Throne,
And all Brethren shall come to that mess
As Fellow-Craftsmen, no more and no less.”
The garlic plant springs from a bulb which is made up from smaller segments surrounded with a papery skin. These smaller sections are called garlic cloves. We adopted this word from the German klieben meaning to cleave (to split or sever). Our earthy friend is a hard worker, hardy and hale albeit a bit pungent. Not only a member of the working class, his flat grass-like leaves grow alongside a stem called the scape. This word comes to us from the Greek skapos (rod) also the source of our word scepter. This side of garlic brings us his more noble heritage, the side of him that is a healer and a protector. Atop the scape will bloom a spherical collection of miniature flowers ultimately emerging from a papery hood. For with garlic there is always more to uncover.
The Magic of Garlic
Correspondences
Element: Fire
Gender: Masculine
Sabbat: Mabon
Planet: Mars
Chakra: Root
Spellwork
Protect
Courage
Strength
Luck
Banish
Proverb
Indian: Garlic is as good as ten mothers.
The Medicine of Garlic
Ayurvedic
Ayurvedic Name: Lahasuna
Vata: Pacify
Kapha: Pacify
Pitta: Increases
Taste: Pungent, Spicy
Herbology
Alterative
Antimicrobial
Antibacterial
Anti-fungal
Antispasmodic
Antithrombotic
Antiviral
Carminative
Cholagogue
Diaphoretic
Expectorant
Hypocholesterolemic
Hypotensive
Parasiticide
TCM
TCM Name: Da Suan
Botanical Name: Allium sativum
Common Name: Garlic
Energy: Warm
Flavor: Pungent
Organs: Spleen, Stomach, Lung, Large Intestine
Movement: Resolve swelling, Remove toxicity
Science of Garlic
Botany
Botanical Name: Allium sativum
Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis Family)
Type of Plant: Bulb
Habitat: Rich well-drained soil, Sun
Zone: 4-9
Bloom Time: April – May
Height: 1-1.5 feet
Spread: 1 foot
Propagation: Cloves
Harvest: When leaves brown
Part Used: Bulb, Scapes
Constituents: Allinase, Terpenes, Flavonoids, Sulfur, Selenium, Phosphorus
Native Region: Asia
Sustainability: Good
Leaf
Structure: Simple
Arrangement: From bulb
Shape: Linear
Length: 1-3 feet
Margins: Entire
Surface: Smooth
Flower
Inflorescence: Compound globular
Sexuality: Perfect
Stamen: 6 stamen in 2 whorls
Petals: 6 tepals in 2 whorls
Color: Pink, Purple, White
Size: Varies
Sacred Story
Garlic was an important currency in Ancient Egypt. When building the pyramids, Egyptian slaves were given a meal of flatbread, beer, and garlic. It was believed that the garlic would build up their stamina. This may also explain why garlic was even found in the tombs of some of the kings. When the slaves threatened to stop working on the pyramids, the Pharaoh appeased them by giving them more garlic. And then, when Moses finally led slaves from Egypt, it is said that they complained about missing the finer things in life: cucumber, melon, fish, and of course garlic.
