Along with leeks, chives, and shallots, garlic and onions are members of the Alliums family. Western medicine ascribes certain beneficial properties to bulbs: in allopathy, garlic is considered a natural antibiotic. However, there is a reverse side of the issue, which, perhaps, has not yet become widespread.
According to classical Indian medicine Ayurveda, all foods can be divided into three categories – sattvic, rajasic, tamasic – the food of goodness, passion and ignorance, respectively. Onions and garlic, like the rest of the bulbs, belong to rajas and tamas, which means that they stimulate ignorance and passion in a person. One of the main directions of Hinduism – Vaishnavism – involves the use of sattvic food: fruits, vegetables, herbs, dairy products, grains and beans. Vaishnavas avoid any other food because it cannot be offered to God. Rajasic and tamasic food is not welcomed by those who practice meditation and worship for the above reasons.
Little known is the fact that raw garlic can be extremely. Who knows, maybe the Roman poet Horace knew something similar when he wrote about garlic that it is “more dangerous than hemlock.” Garlic and onions are avoided by many spiritual and religious leaders (knowing their property to excite the central nervous system), so as not to violate the vow of celibacy. Garlic – . Ayurveda speaks of it as a tonic for loss of sexual power (regardless of the cause). Garlic is especially recommended for this delicate problem at the age of 50+ and with high nervous tension.
Thousands of years ago, the Taoists knew that bulbous plants were harmful to a healthy person. The sage Tsang-Tse wrote about bulbs: “five spicy vegetables that have a negative effect on one of the five organs – the liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys and heart. In particular, onions are harmful to the lungs, garlic to the heart, leeks to the spleen, green onions to the liver and kidneys.” Tsang Tse said that these pungent vegetables contain five enzymes that cause similar properties are described in Ayurveda: “Besides the fact that they cause bad body and breath odor, bulbous stimulate irritation, aggression and anxiety. Thus, they are detrimental both physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.”
In the 1980s, Dr. Robert Beck, while researching the function of the brain, discovered the harmful effects of garlic on this organ. He found that garlic is toxic to humans: its sulfone hydroxyl ions penetrate the blood-brain barrier and are toxic to brain cells. Dr. Back explained that as far back as the 1950s, garlic was known to impair the reaction rate of flight test pilots. This was because the toxic effect of garlic desynchronized the brain waves. For the same reason, garlic is considered detrimental to dogs.
Not everything is unambiguous regarding garlic in Western medicine and cooking. There is a widespread understanding among experts that by killing harmful bacteria, garlic also destroys beneficial ones that are necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive system. Reiki practitioners list onions and garlic as the first substances to be eliminated, along with tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals. From a homeopathic point of view, onions in a healthy body cause symptoms of dry cough, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing and other cold-like symptoms. As we can see, the issue of the harm and usefulness of the bulbs is very controversial. Everyone analyzes the information and draws conclusions, makes their own decisions that suit them.