GROWING GARLIC by Dan Ditzler
PEASANT’S HEAL ALL, DA SUAN, LASHUNA
Garlic is antibiotic, antiviral and anti atherosclerotic which means it can help prevent or slow the progression of a disease that hardens and narrows the arteries. As good as ten mothers. It is an effective stimulant and diffusive. Mince garlic and let it sit for ten minutes and the health benefits increase.
Tonic- A remedy to build health in general. Rather than treating a particular disease garlic strengthens and builds without depleting. Other tonic herbs to cook into ghee – garlic – ginger – cardamom – black pepper – cloves – fennel – cumin – cayenne. Add to vegetables and stir fry.
A sattvic diet in Ayurveda contains no garlic. Onions, garlic, and other foods are considered stimulants that will interrupt the flow of your body's natural harmonies. The Eclectics would use garlic internally and externally. Some would apply garlic as a poultice, when the herb is crushed up and applied to the skin. Others would crush garlic and cover with sugar, strain the liquid, and help treat whooping cough. Garlic can be used for yeast infections – use the whole clove as a suppository.
In Britain garlic is most commonly used for chronic bronchitis, recurrent colds and asthma. It increases circulation, promotes sweating, reduces intestinal spasms, kills bacteria and viruses, stimulates white blood cells, lowers blood pressure, and expels worms. Garlic is good for the lungs, especially when formulated with hyssop and thyme. The antimicrobial constituents of garlic are excreted into the lungs.
In German phytotherapy, garlic is a top cardiovascular herb. In Appalachia garlic is used as a blood purifier. Garlic thins the blood and acts on the kidneys.
What is fertile ground for infection? Poor diet, chronic stress, lack of exercise. Killing the germ is only half of the problem! Antibiotics can injure the gut flora. Garlic is a broad spectrum antibiotic. Crushed garlic in water can be used as a douche for vaginal infections. Garlic juice applied to athlete’s foot stops it in its tracks, also kills staph. Garlic will kill influenza, herpes, cowpox, cold sores.
Garlic can be planted on a Root Day (when the moon stands in front of the Earth signs Virgo, Capricorn or Taurus), during the descending moon (when the moon is traveling from Gemini to Sagittarius), or during the third quarter of the moon (the week after the full moon). In Pennsylvania try to get garlic in the ground by Halloween, although planting earlier will help the root system develop before the first frost.
Once you have your garlic seed on hand and are ready to plant into a nicely aerated fertilized bed break apart the bulb into cloves. At this point it would be wise to soak the cloves in vodka or something to sterilize them; sometimes you find the original clove rots quicker than the rest of the bulb; this can help. After 20 minutes a nice dip in some freshly stirred Horn Manure 500 and or Barrel Compost can help the bulb settle in for the fall and winter. Plant the clove with the flat side down. 4 pounds of cloves plants a 30 foot bed with 3 rows. Plant 1 ½ to 2 inches deep, 4 inches apart, and a foot to 18 inches between rows. Mulch 4 to 6 inches with straw.
When the plants have shown some top growth in fall and spring spray Horn Silica 501 in the morning. Fertilize the bulbs around Valentines Day with some compost tea, and pull back the mulch around the plants as they start to grow. Spray Horn Silica 501 in the afternoon when the leaves show a slight yellowing towards spring. Harvest towards the Fourth of July during a descending moon so there is less moisture in the crop, which will help with shelf life.
As a companion plant, garlic is good for almost all garden plants, as well as fruit trees and roses to repel pests. Garlic sprays are useful as natural fungicides and pesticides. Celery and garlic are good companions. Garlic repels celery pests, and both require similar fertility, water and mulch.
Side effects of garlic – can cause internal bleeding if over consumed; can increase pain and pee; dulls eyesight; headaches; nausea; promotes menstruation; can cause bad breath. Eating apples, spinach, or mint can help deodorize garlic breath. Chewing fresh parsley can help neutralize garlic odor because it contains chlorophyll, a natural deodorizer.
