There are very few medicinal herbs that have such a wide range of uses as garlic. It is also one of the longest used herbs, having been used tens of centuries ago. Garlic, as well as other members of the Onion family, have many medicinal values. The leaves are rather like those of grass. The bulbs consist of many smaller bulbs or “cloves”. The flower has a globular head and is usually white or bluish. (Wild garlic, which grows well in most areas with adequate moisture, looks very similar to wild chives, also a member of the Onion family. However, chives have a dark blue or purple flower. Chives can incidentally be used the same way that garlic is, but the flavor is milder, as are the medicinal properties.)
The first of it’s many medicinal properties is that Garlic is a very strong natural antibiotic. It acts to stimulate the growth of cells, and their activity. Garlic also reduces blood pressure.
Garlic is excellent for use in a colds or infections. It has diuretic properties (it encourages expulsion of fluids from the body), it is an expectorant and helps break up nasal and chest congestion, and it is a stimulant, as well as having the ability to sooth the stomach.
As an antiseptic, Garlic juice, with water added, have long been used on wounds of various sorts. Used in a salve or lotion, it helps reduce swelling and is useful for sores or ulcerations. It has also been used for this purpose on animals.