# Garlic (Allium sativum)

**Allium*; Greek *skorodon**

**Known today as.** *Allium sativum*.

Kind: Plant  
Qualities: Hot and dry in the fourth degree (Galenic tradition).

## What does modern science say?

Allicin and related sulfur compounds are antimicrobial in the dish; garlic lowers blood pressure slightly, and it thins the blood, which matters before surgery.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **allicin**: formed when the clove is cut
- **ajoene**: 
- **diallyl disulfide**: 

**Mechanism.** Allicin reacts with thiols and inhibits platelet aggregation.

**Dose.** Bleeding risk with anticoagulants and before surgery.

**Standing.** A food; small effects on blood pressure in trials.

## What lore surrounds it?

Hung at the door and worn against the evil eye, sorcery, and the unquiet dead, from Greek antiquity to the vampire tales of the nineteenth century.

Its reputation as a shield against evil reaches back long before the vampire tales. Egyptians and Greeks hung garlic at doorways and ate it before entering temples, as protection against disease and evil alike, and Roman soldiers are said to have carried cloves as a ward. The vampire belief itself is best documented in Slavic and Balkan folk tradition, and was popularized by nineteenth-century fiction.

## What did the older authorities say?

**Herodotus.** Reports an inscription on the Great Pyramid recording what was spent on radishes, onions, and garlic for the workmen.

**Galen.** Is said to have called it the theriac of the peasants, the poor man’s antidote.

## Sources

- Herodotus, *Histories* II.
- Dioscorides, *De materia medica*.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Garlic.”
- Wikipedia, “Apotropaic magic.”
- Ried, K. (2016). “Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.” *Journal of Nutrition* 146.

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*Garlic.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-09-25. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/garlic

Historical description, not medical advice.