Garlic in History
Researchers have found references to garlic in Chinese texts dating back as far as 2,000 years before Christ. That means civilization has been familiar with garlic and its uses as a food and a healing agent for at least 4,000 years. So who said nothing lasts forever? In ancient Greece, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine used garlic for treating infections, wounds and intestinal disorders. Not to mention a mean lamb stew. Roman legionnaires attributed their strength, courage and stamina to garlic and took it with them as they conquered the world. Thus spreading its use and cultivation everywhere they went. Inscriptions in the pyramids at Giza, built by the ancient Egyptians, indicate that the workers who built them subsisted largely on onions, garlic and radishes, which to them was more than just a foodstuff. The Egyptians credited these foods, especially garlic, with magical and medicinal powers responsible for the physical stamina and spiritual integrity needed for the workers to complete their backbreaking tasks. The workers subscribed to the same theory, because when the supplies of garlic ran out, they went on strike. Something virtually unheard of in that day and age. An Egyptian holy book, the Codex Ebers, was discovered in 1878 by a German archaeologist. It dates from about 1550 B.C. and lists more than 800 therapeutic formulas in use at the time. Twenty-two of them were based on, you guessed it garlic. These were said to heal headaches, heart problems, body weakness, human bites and intestinal parasites. So as you can see throughout the civilizations of ancient Rome, Egypt, and China, garlic was considered potent medicine. Even into modern times garlic has maintained its place as a favorite food and valued medicine.
