History
Ancient god Hermes recommended garlic to Odysseus as a special antidote to the magical potions of Circe who had turned his men into pigs. Also, during the Olympic Games, athletes used to chew a garlic clove before starting the game. Moreover, Greek and Roman farmers, soldiers and sailors liked to consume garlic as the most ordinary snack. Romans considered garlic as symbol of military vigor.
Wild garlic grew in the courtyard of churches in England and turned away evil spirits for centuries. Before Anglo-Saxons started building churches, Romanized Bretons had garlic included as a basic ingredient of colonial guard’s food. During Middle-ages, garlic was regarded as an effective treatment for leprosy.
King of France Henry IV had the habit of chewing garlic before his sexual achievements. In addition, Great Plague of Marseille in 1726 had been fought with an antiseptic medicine constituted by garlic and oil.
During The World War I, British army used garlic in order to medically treat contaminations of injured soldiers. They put a mixture of fresh garlic juice with water straight into the wound: medical effect was excellent! During The World War II, Russian Soviet doctors applied the same medication.
