Awesome Garlic!

Many years ago we lived in a quaint Atlantic town in Costa Rica; our home overlooked the ocean and we got used to have lunch and dinner on the terrace. Of course nothing is perfect and there was a "long, black" problem: Snakes! The kind that bites you and allows you to take three steps before you find yourself in paradise.

I was afraid because although the houses in the area were built above ground, many of those snakes had been found on the terraces or climbing the stairs; our first son had just been born and I wanted him protected.

My mother suggested that I leave small plates with milk downstairs to distract the snakes but the lady that used to come and help me with the housework said, pointing out to the kitchen door, that I did not need it because the snakes would never come into our home. She went ahead and told me that as long as I had that "braid" of garlic hanging on the door snakes would look the other way, they loathe the smell of garlic. Next day I went out, bought a pound of garlic and distributed the cloves in every possible corner of the house and garden. You got it! I never had a snake come near the house. Maybe it was pure luck, I will never know, I am convinced it was all those garlic cloves growing around.

I have kept the practice all these years, I love gardening and want to feel secure while enjoying my favorite activity and we all know that snakes love the tropics and other not so tropical places. Every three months I go and buy a good amount of garlic and spread it around. Of course, garlic is "thankful" and you don't have to plant it to have a beautiful plant growing quickly. I have used those "cloves" in the kitchen and the flavor is outstanding.

Here are other known and not so known uses:

-Toads don't like it either, ours is the only house in the block without toads.
-I discovered that if I dig a hole at the root of my fruit trees, ants go away.
-I read many years ago that the juice of a pound of garlic gets rid of bacteria in a hectare.
-I have been told that Roman soldiers used to wrap garlic on their feet to prevent fungi.
-It is said to be effective against viruses.
-It is said that it was used against the plague in the middle ages.
-It also has antibiotic properties- I read it can be as strong as Penicillin.
-In Latin America we say that the reason mosquitoes attack so fiercely the foreigners is because they have not eaten enough garlic.
-It is used to lower cholesterol levels.
-It is used to lower high blood pressure.
-It is used to treat colds.
-I heard that in some places they use boiled milk with garlic to treat the cough and as a decongestant.
-I was always told to eat garlic to keep parasites where they belong, out of our bodies!
-It is used to treat heart disease.
-I read that studies have been done about its effect on atherosclerosis.
-It is also said to be good to treat cancer.
-And in addition to all this, garlic keeps vampires away!!

Now, as with all in life, use caution; here are some non-positive effects:

-In Ecuador they say not to eat garlic, onions or anything that could cause irritation after a surgery - you might not heal as fast.
-I read that it thins your blood - like aspirin.
-Some people can be allergic to it - rash, temperature and headaches.
-If you are taking medication to treat HIV/AIDS, consult your doctor as it could cause harmful side effects.
-It could be a powerful kiss deterrent.