The use of garlic dates back at least 5,000 years to the Babylonians. 1 Many ancient civilizations used garlic including the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Hindus, and Vikings. Reportedly, the construction workers on the Egyptian pyramids ate garlic to protect themselves from diseases, and grave diggers drank wine containing crushed garlic to protect themselves from the plague during the Middle Ages. 2 When the Russians depleted their supplies of penicillin during World War II, they used garlic poultices to treat wounds.
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The name garlic is derived from the Anglo -Saxon words gar (spear) and lac (plant) that refer to the shape of garlic leaves. The genus Allium contains about 450 species including a variety of chives, onions, and leeks. Common Name: Cultivated garlic Scientifi c Name: Allium sativum L. Botanical Family: Liliaceae (lily) Physical Description: This perennial herb has a bulb consisting of a cluster of smaller bulbs (bulblets or cloves). The leaves are long, linear, and swordshaped. The fl owers are small, fl at umbels. Distribution and Ecology: Allium species are widely distributed over temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The cultivated garlic probably originated in Central Asia.
EXPOSURE Sources
Commercial available forms of garlic include raw garlic homogenate, garlic oil, garlic oil macerate, dehydrated garlic powder, and aged garlic extract. Figure 66.1 lists the major ingredients in these garlic preparations. Raw garlic homogenate is the most common form of garlic, and this preparation is equivalent to the aqueous extract of garlic with the principal ingredients being allicin (diallyl thiosulfi nate), allyl methyl thiosulfonate, 1propenyl allyl thiosulfonate, Ξ³ -glutamyl -S -alkyl -lcysteine. 3 The concentration of sulfur -containing compounds (e.g., S -allyl cysteine) varies with preparation processes. Garlic essential oil is a steam distillation product of garlic that contains primarily sulfi des (diallyl trisulfi de, diallyl disulfi de, allyl methyl trisulfi de, allyl methyl disulfi de, diallyl tetrasulfi de) and no allicin or water -soluble fraction. Garlic powder is a fl avoring agent for condiments and processed foods that contains alliin (up to 1%) and small amounts of oil -soluble sulfur compounds. Oil macerates are encapsulated mixtures of whole garlic cloves ground in vegetable oil. These preparations contain decomposed products of allicin (ajoene, dithiins, sulfi des, residual alliin). Typically, the storage of sliced raw garlic in 15 -20% ethanol for 20 months produces aged garlic extract that is relatively low in allicin and high in S -allyl cysteine and S -allylmercaptocysteine. Consequently, the hydroalcoholic extract of aged garlic contains primarily water -soluble constituents (S -allyl cysteine, S -allylmercaptocysteine) and small amounts of oil -soluble sulfur compounds.