Domestically, garlic is stored warm [above 18 C (64 F)] and dry to keep it dormant (so it does not sprout).

It is traditionally hung; softneck varieties are often braided in strands called plaits or grappes. Peeled cloves may be stored in win e or vinegar in the refrigerator.[23] Commercially, garlic is stored at 0 C (32 F) , in a dry, low-humidity environment.[24] Garlic will keep longer if the tops re main attached.[6] Garlic is often kept in oil to produce flavoured oil; however, the practice requ ires measures to be taken to prevent the garlic from spoiling. Untreated garlic kept in oil can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum which causes the dea dly botulism illness; refrigeration will not assure the safety of garlic kept in oil. To reduce this risk, the oil should be refrigerated and used within one we ek. Commercially prepared oils are widely available. Manufacturers add acids and /or other chemicals to eliminate the risk of botulism in their products.[25] Two outbreaks of botulism related to garlic stored in oil have been reported.[26][2 7] In 1961, Chester Lilley from Kent in England was the first person to transform g arlic into a pill form for storage.[citation needed] Although not widely accepte d at the time for culinary uses, a capsulate solution for both the storage and s imple dosing of garlic has become commonplace. Historical use Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating at least as far back as when the Giza pyramids were built. Garlic is still grown in Egypt, but the Syrian variety is the kind most esteemed now ( see Rawlinson's Herodotus, 2.125). Hippocrates, Galen, Pliny the Elder, and Dioscorides all mention the use of garl ic for many conditions, including parasites, respiratory problems, poor digestio n, and low energy. Its use in China dates back to 2000 BCE.[1] It was consumed by ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, sailors, and rural classes (Virgil, Ecologues ii. 11), and, according to Pliny the Elder (Natural History x ix. 32), by the African peasantry. Galen eulogizes it as the "rustic's theriac" (cure-all) (see F. Adams' Paulus Aegineta, p. 99), and Alexander Neckam, a write r of the 12th century (see Wright's edition of his works, p. 473, 1863), recomme nds it as a palliative for the heat of the sun in field labor. In the account of Korea's establishment as a nation, a tiger and a bear prayed t o Hwanung that they may become human. Upon hearing their prayers, Hwanung gave t hem 20 cloves of garlic and a bundle of mugwort, ordering them to eat only this sacred food and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger gave up after about twenty days and left the cave. However, the bear remained and was transfo rmed into a woman. In his Natural History, Pliny gives an exceedingly long list of scenarios in whi ch it was considered beneficial (N.H. xx. 23). Dr. T. Sydenham valued it as an a pplication in confluent smallpox, and, says Cullen (Mat. Med. ii. p. 174, 1789), found some dropsies cured by it alone. Early in the 20th century, it was someti mes used in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis or phthisis. Harvesting garlic, from Tacuinum sanitatis, 15th century (Bibliothque nationale) Garlic was rare in traditional English cuisine (though it is said to have been g rown in England before 1548) and has been a much more common ingredient in Medit erranean Europe.[citation needed] Garlic was placed by the ancient Greeks on the piles of stones at crossroads, as a supper for Hecate (Theophrastus, Characters , The Superstitious Man). A similar practice of hanging garlic, lemon and red ch illi at the door or in a shop to ward off potential evil, is still very common i n India.[28] According to Pliny, garlic and onions were invoked as deities by th

e Egyptians at the taking of oaths. (Pliny also stated garlic demagnetizes lodes tones, which is not factual.)[29] The inhabitants of Pelusium, in lower Egypt (w ho worshiped the onion), are said to have had an aversion to both onions and gar lic as food. To prevent the plant from running to leaf, Pliny (N.H. xix. 34) advised bending the stalk downward and covering with earth; seeding, he observes, may be prevent ed by twisting the stalk (by "seeding", he most likely meant the development of small, less potent bulbs). Medicinal use and health benefits Garlic, raw Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) Energy 623 kJ (149 kcal) Carbohydrates 33.06 g - Sugars 1 g - Dietary fiber 2.1 g Fat 0.5 g Protein 6.36 g Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.2 mg (17%) Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.11 mg (9%) Niacin (vit. B3) 0.7 mg (5%) Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.596 mg (12%) Vitamin B6 1.235 mg (95%) Folate (vit. B9) 3 g (1%) Vitamin C 31.2 mg (38%) Calcium 181 mg (18%) Iron 1.7 mg (13%) Magnesium 25 mg (7%) Manganese 1.672 mg (80%) Phosphorus 153 mg (22%) Potassium 401 mg (9%) Sodium 17 mg (1%) Zinc 1.16 mg (12%) Selenium 14.2 g Link to USDA Database entry Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database Garlic is claimed to help prevent heart disease (including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) and cancer.[1][30] Animal studies, and so me early research studies in humans, have suggested possible cardiovascular bene fits of garlic. A Czech study found garlic supplementation reduced accumulation of cholesterol on the vascular walls of animals.[31] Another study had similar r esults, with garlic supplementation significantly reducing aortic plaque deposit s of cholesterol-fed rabbits.[32] Another study showed supplementation with garl ic extract inhibited vascular calcification in human patients with high blood ch olesterol.[33] The known vasodilative effect of garlic is possibly caused by cat abolism of garlic-derived polysulfides to hydrogen sulfide in red blood cells (R BCs), a reaction that is dependent on reduced thiols in or on the RBC membrane. Hydrogen sulfide is an endogenous cardioprotective vascular cell-signaling molec ule.[34] A randomized clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2007 fo und the consumption of garlic in any form did not reduce blood cholesterol level s in patients with moderately high baseline cholesterol levels.[35][36] Accordin g to Heart.org, "despite decades of research suggesting that garlic can improve cholesterol profiles, a new NIH-funded trial found absolutely no effects of raw garlic or garlic supplements on LDL, HDL, or triglycerides... The findings under score the hazards of meta-analyses made up of small, flawed studies and the valu

e of rigorously studying popular herbal remedies". In an editorial regarding the initial report's findings, two physicians from Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, pointed out that there may "be effects of garlic on atheros clerosis specifically that were not picked up in the study".[37] However, a 2012 meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled tr ials looking at the effects of garlic on serum lipid profiles, found garlic was superior to placebo in reducing serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Compared with the placebo groups, serum total cholesterol and triglyceride leve ls in the garlic groups was reduced by 0.28 (95% CI, -0.45, -0.11) mmol L? (P = 0 .001) and 0.13 (95% CI, -0.20, -0.06) mmol L? (P < 0.001), respectively.[38] Allium sativum has been found to reduce platelet aggregation[39][40][41][42] and hyperlipidemia.[42][43][44] In 2007, the BBC reported Allium sativum may have other beneficial properties, s uch as preventing and fighting the common cold.[45] This assertion has the backi ng of long tradition in herbal medicine, which has used garlic for hoarseness an d coughs.[46] The Cherokee also used it as an expectorant for coughs and croup.[ 47] However, in contrast to these earlier claims concerning the cold-preventing properties of garlic, a 2012 report in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Revie ws concludes that "there is insufficient clinical trial evidence regarding the e ffects of garlic in preventing or treating the common cold. A single trial sugge sted that garlic may prevent occurrences of the common cold but more studies are needed to validate this finding. Claims of effectiveness appear to rely largely on poor-quality evidence."[48] Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels. Regular and prolonge d use of therapeutic amounts of aged garlic extracts lower blood homocysteine le vels and has been shown to prevent some complications of diabetes mellitus.[49][ 50] People taking insulin should not consume medicinal amounts of garlic without consulting a physician. Garlic was used as an antiseptic to prevent gangrene during World War I and Worl d War II.[51] More recently, it has been found from a clinical trial that a mout hwash containing 2.5% fresh garlic shows good antimicrobial activity, although t he majority of the participants reported an unpleasant taste and halitosis.[52] Garlic cloves are used as a remedy for infections (especially chest problems), d igestive disorders, and fungal infections such as thrush.[53][54] Garlic can be used as a disinfectant because of its bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal propertie s.[4][unreliable source?] Garlic has been found to enhance thiamin absorption, and therefore reduces the l ikelihood for developing the thiamin deficiency beriberi.[55] In 1924, it was found to be an effective way to prevent scurvy, because of its h igh vitamin C content.[55] Garlic has been used reasonably successfully in AIDS patients to treat Cryptospo ridium in an uncontrolled study in China.[56] It has also been used by at least one AIDS patient to treat toxoplasmosis, another protozoal disease.[57] Garlic supplementation has been shown to boost testosterone levels in rats fed a high protein diet.[58] A 2010 double-blind, parallel, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, involving 5 0 patients whose routine clinical records in general practice documented treated but uncontrolled hypertension, concluded, "Our trial suggests that aged garlic extract is superior to placebo in lowering systolic blood pressure similarly to

current first line medications in patients with treated but uncontrolled hyperte nsion."[59] Other uses The sticky juice within the bulb cloves is used as an adhesive in mending glass and porcelain.[2] An environmentally benign garlic-derived polysulfide product i s approved for use in the European Union (under Annex 1 of 91/414) and the UK as a nematicide and insecticide, including for use for control of cabbage root fly and red mite in poultry.[60] Adverse effects and toxicology Garlic is known for causing bad breath (halitosis), as well as causing sweat to have a pungent "garlicky" smell, which is caused by allyl methyl sulfide (AMS). AMS is a volatile liquid which is absorbed into the blood during the metabolism of garlic-derived sulfur compounds; from the blood it travels to the lungs[1] (a nd from there to the mouth, causing bad breath; see garlic breath) and skin, whe re it is exuded through skin pores. Washing the skin with soa