Description

Allium sativum, garlic, is a perennial bulbous herb of the family Amaryllidaceae, believed to have originated in the region between Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau, from where it dispersed through human cultivation across the ancient world. Documented in the Ebers Papyrus of Egypt (circa 1550 BCE), in the Charaka Samhita as Lasuna, and in the materia medica of Hippocrates, Dioscorides, and Avicenna, garlic occupies a singular position in the ethnobotanical pharmacology of multiple civilisations. The dried powder retains key sulphur-containing organosulphur compounds including allicin precursors. Traditionally incorporated in Ayurvedic preparations for cardiovascular health, digestive stimulation, and immune support, as well as in Unani Mu’ajjanaat compounds. India is the world’s second-largest garlic producer.