Garlic Essential Oil

Allium sativum, known as garlic, is a strongly aromatic bulb crop believed to originate from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Western China. A. sativum was domesticated long ago and is mentioned in ancient Egyptian, Greek, Indian, and Chinese writings. Garlic grows in temperate and tropical regions all over the world, and many cultivars have been developed to suit different climates. A. sativum is the most widely consumed bulb after onion.

Allium sativum is divided into two subspecies, A. sativum var. sativum, also known as softneck garlic, and Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon, also known as hardneck garlic. Both varieties are composed of an underground bulb made up of cloves, which are prophylls enclosed by dry membranous skins and held together by a basal plate. The variations differ in that hard neck garlic’s bulb is composed of six to eleven cloves, circled around a centralized woody stalk. This variety of garlic has a scape that curls at the top, but it is generally removed after it curls one to three times. This is because if it continues to grow, less energy can be utilized towards the bulb. Eventually, the scape would give rise to bulbils, containing miniature cloves. The bulbils are occasionally accompanied by white or light purple flowers, although these are sterile. Softneck garlic does not have a flowering top and contains up to twenty-four cloves per bulb.

Garlic has been traditionally used to treat a wide variety of ailments, including bacterial and fungal infections, intestinal worm infestations, wounds, diarrhea, rheumatism, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases (thrombosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia), metabolic disorders and others. Today, this plant is included in traditional medicine in most cultures. Garlic, available in various formulations for medicinal purposes has also been used to relieve symptoms caused by cancer and benign prostatic hypertrophy. However, in all the applications listed, clinical evidence in support of these uses is very weak or is absent. Popularly is also used or has been used in the past as mosquito repellent, anti-catarrhal, for hoarseness and as a sedative for cough. Topical application of garlic is used traditionally to treat skin warts.