News Release

LONDON, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether you are already an addict or are waiting to be converted, the dynamic taste and health benefits of garlic are universally hailed. Used across the world for millennia, both for culinary and medicinal purposes, garlic has been successful in treating wounds, infections and intestinal parasites. It's even mentioned in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Today many scientists have concluded from the results of numerous clinical trials, that garlic has anti-bacterial properties and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

It also contains allyl sulfur compounds and these are currently being studied by the National Cancer Institute for their ability to slow or prevent the growth of tumor cells, which may prove effective in fighting certain cancers.

Cooking wise, it's worth noting that the smaller you chop garlic, the more pungent it becomes. Garlic which has been through a garlic press is 10 times stronger than garlic which has been chopped with a knife. So, if you want a milder tasting dish, either add whole of halved cloves.

If that's not enough to convince you to eat garlic, some other reasons for which it has been recognised throughout the ages, though not all have been conclusively proven include repelling vampires, curing warts and protecting against the plague!

Whether you're green-fingered or not, why not try growing just a few plants in containers. It's really simple and there's still time start them before the end of April.

Buy a bulb from your supermarket, divide it into cloves (leaving the skins on) and plant one clove per 13cm/5-inch pot filled with ordinary potting compost, 5cm/2-inches deep, pointy end up. Place in a sunny position and keep watered.

From early June, feed with a general plant food every two weeks until mid-August. Stop watering altogether in late August and by mid/late September you should have a fully formed bulb waiting to be eaten!

Whilst National Garlic Day seems to be an American invention, this awesome little bulb merits being celebrated the world over. If you're stuck for ideas, you can find hundreds of recipes using garlic at www.recipes4us.co.uk.

Written by Florence Sandeman, Editor

Recipes4us.co.uk

Note to Editors: Recipes4us.co.uk was launched in 2000 and is an independent UK recipe and food information site. A recipe and photograph is also available.

    
   Sources: National Centre for Biotechnology www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    National Cancer Institute www.cancer.gov
    Contact: Florence Sandeman
    Email: Editor@recipes4us.co.uk
    Website: www.recipes4us.co.uk

Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Recipes4us.co.uk