The leaves are long, narrow and flat like grass. The bulb is of a compound nature, consisting of numerous bulblets, known technically as 'cloves,' grouped together between the membraneous scales and enclosed within a whitish skin, which holds them as in a sac. The flowers are placed at the end of a stalk rising direct from the bulb and are whitish, grouped together in a globular head, or umbel, with an enclosing kind of leaf or spathae, and among them are small bulbils.

Anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiseptic, cancer, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vasodilator, lowers serum blood cholesterol (while increasing the level of HDL), lowers blood fats, stimulates detoxifying enzymes (from the liver), antioxidant, antibiotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, ascaricide and certain other parasites.

Garlic
Allium sativum
Floridata
Therapeutic Actions
Botanical.com

Adenosine, ajoene, alanine, allicin, alliin, allyl propyl disulphide, alpha-phellandrene, alpha-tocopherol, arachidonic acid, arginine, aspartic acid, beta-phellandrene, biotin, caffeic acid, choline, citral, cycloallin, cystine, diallyl disulphide, diallyl-sulfide, diallyl-tetrasulfide, diallyl-trisulfide, ferulic acid, geraniol, glutamic acid, glutathione, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, methionine, nicotinic acid, p-coumaric acid, phenylalanine, quercetin, tryptophan, tyrosine (bulb); ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin (leaf, flower, bulb, shoot); beta-sitosterol, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, oleanolic acid, oleic acid, p-hydroxy-benzoic acid, rutin, stigmasterol, succinic acid, taurine, (plant); ornithine (leaf)

Arteriosclerosis, arthritis, asthma, athlete's foot; bladder, kidney and ear (including earache) ailments, boils, bronchitis, cancer, canker sores, common cold, corns, cough, dysmenorrhea, indigestion, fever, infections, inflammations, influenza and leukemia.

Five commonly used herbs St John's wort, ginkgo biloba, valerian, garlic, and ginseng in Denmark were reported to produce potential drug interactions and adverse effects in clinical practice hence recommended for discontinuation before surgery. [Article in Danish] (Kistorp and Laursen, 2002).

Amagase H. Milner JA. Impact of various sources of garlic and their constituents on 7.12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene binding to mammary cell DNA. Carcinogenesis 1993 Aug;14(8):1627-31.