With the beginning of spring, the wild garlic season will soon start. The vegetables give many dishes an intense flavor and are also good for our health. You can find out what wild garlic can do here.
Whether as a pesto or as an intense flavor enhancer, wild garlic tastes really good and can often be collected almost right on your doorstep.
You shouldn’t just eat wild garlic because of the taste, the wild herb can do a lot more. Wild garlic is a real vitamin C miracle and can also prevent heart disease.
Spring is wild garlic time
Wild garlic, also known as wild garlic, can be bought fresh in most supermarkets during the season. But it is more exciting and more regional to go looking for the plant in the forest or to plant wild garlic yourself.
In these places you will find wild garlic
In nature it is found in moist deciduous forests. In a suitable place, the herb spreads quickly. You can recognize wild garlic by the dark green, lance-shaped leaves, the white blossom and the strong smell of garlic.
Danger: Wild garlic can easily be confused with the poisonous plants lily of the valley, autumn crocus and aroid. If you are unsure, you can recognize wild garlic by the strong leek smell. None of the similar-looking plants have such a strong garlic smell.
Grow wild garlic at home
You can also grow wild garlic yourself. It is best to get young plants for this. Seeds need a full 14 months to germinate. The soil should be as humus rich and moist as possible. Then the herb spreads quickly.
The first leaves sprout in early February. Wild garlic can be harvested until the end of April or mid-May. Wash the leaves well before using the herb for cooking, especially if you have collected wild garlic from nature.
It’s in wild garlic
Wild garlic not only refines dishes with its intense taste, but also provides the body with important vitamins and minerals.
The herb contains a particularly large amount of vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system. In fact, the herb contains three times as much vitamin C as oranges. Just 67 grams of wild garlic cover the entire daily vitamin C requirement of an adult.
Wild garlic also contains a lot of niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin A and vitamin E; also the important minerals potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium.
These are the positive effects of the medicinal plant
1. Strengthens the circulatory system
In the Middle Ages wild garlic was considered “blood-cleansing”. Today it has been scientifically proven that wild garlic actually has a positive effect on the flow properties of the blood and lowers blood pressure.
If the plant is cut up, the amino acid alliin is released. This is how the sulphur-containing alliin comes into contact with the enzyme allinase. This in turn converts the alliin into allicin. This sulphurous substance causes the well-known smell of garlic.
Allicin has an antibacterial effect. It can also prevent high cholesterol levels and arterial calcification. So if you want to prevent heart attacks and strokes, you should eat wild garlic regularly.
One tip: The sulfur content of the plant is at its highest just before flowering. It is best to collect it before the flower develops. The sulfur released in wild garlic can even bind pollutants deposited in the connective tissue.
2. Protects against skin diseases
Wild garlic is also known for its healing effect on chronic skin rashes and ringworm – this is due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the plant.
Wild garlic is also suitable for direct use on the skin, because it also acts as a natural antibiotic from the outside. To do this, apply the freshly squeezed juice directly to stubborn eczema or other skin diseases.
3. Wild garlic is good for the intestines
Wild garlic supports the intestinal flora by fighting off unwanted bacteria and promoting good bacteria. In this way, it helps to restore the natural balance of the intestinal flora. If, for example, the intestinal flora is thrown off balance by antibiotics, wild garlic can help to regulate digestion again.
Due to the high content of mustard oil glycosides, the herb has an appetizing effect and stimulates the digestive juices. This can prevent indigestion, such as bloating and stomach cramps.
4. Strengthens the immune system
Due to the high vitamin C content and the sulfur-related anti-inflammatory function of wild garlic, the herb is a good support for the immune system.
5. Chlorophyll Miracle
The herb owes its strong green color to its high chlorophyll content. The later in the season you harvest the herb, the more chlorophyll it contains. Chlorophyll increases the absorption of magnesium and iron, which are also contained in wild garlic.
Chlorophyll also has a detoxifying effect. The green plant substance ensures that the cells are optimally supplied with oxygen. It not only makes you healthy, but also counteracts wrinkles and acne.
If you like the taste of garlic but don’t want the bad breath and body odor after eating, you should definitely try wild garlic. The herb has a similarly intense taste to garlic, but does not cause a bad smell.
