Ancient History of Garlic

Native to Central Asia, garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world.

It was recorded that garlic was introduced to India more than 5,000 years ago. From there it spread to the east, probably to South East Asia.

Recorded history shows garlic moving from central Asia into Africa, where the Egyptians thought enough of it to bury their royalty with the precious bulbs.

Along with the abundant gold and jewels in the tomb of King Tutankhamen, six perfectly dried bulbs were found; perhaps they were there to give him sustenance during his long journey through the afterlife.

In 1550 BC, the importance of garlic in Egyptian medical practice was illustrated in the Code Ebers, a famous Egyptian papyrus recording over 800 medical formulas.

At the time, garlic was so valuable a commodity that it was given monetary value and used in barter.

Ancients Greek also loved their garlic. Aristotle, mathematician and the Western world’s most influential philosopher, recommended garlic as a tonic.

The Greek physician Dioscorides recommended garlic to clean arteries and Hippocrates prescribe garlic to a variety of ailments including infections.

In medieval Europe, garlic was purported to confer immunity from the bubonic plaque, and individual resistance to the plaque was often attributed to its consumption.
Ancient History of Garlic