Tweet

Share

Wild garlic, also known as buckrams, ramsons, wood garlic and broad-leaved garlic is a plant that grows in deciduous woodlands with moist soils.It's native to Europe and parts of Asia and Africa. Ramsons leaves, bulbs and flowers are edible and used in cuisines around the world.The leaves, dried or fresh, can be used as a spice, boiled as a vegetable and consumed in salads.WARNING: Although wild garlic is better tolerated by the digestive system than garlic, people with a very sensitive stomach or colon should avoid it or use it less as it can cause cramps. It should not be consumed by breastfeeding mothers, because it changes the taste of milk; the taste can be unpleasant for the infant. Be also extremely careful if you pick it by yourself: it can be easily easily mistaken for lily of the valley, meadow saffron or wild arum which are poisonous . To positively identify wild garlic crush the leaves between your fingers and they should have a garlic-like smell.
It is also called bear’s garlic because bears search wild garlic when they come out of hibernation; it helps them make a “detox diet”: clean stomach, intestines, blood. Wild boars love it too. Bears and wild boars shouldn't be the only ones to enjoy the benefits of wild garlic as it is not only tasty but also extremely healthy.As its Latin name, Allium ursinum, suggests, wild garlic has properties similar to garlic: from its smell and taste to the therapeutic properties. It contains: allyl sulfide (which gives the smell and taste of garlic), vitamins A and C, essential oil complex, minerals calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, copper, adenosine (a substance that helps reduce cholesterol and preventing thrombus formation).
Fresh leaves have antiseptic, antibacterial, anti toxic, diuretic, hemostatic and hypotensive effects, so wild garlic is perfect for digestive cleansing. You will get better results if you eat fresh leaves, as by drying, they can lose some of their healing properties.
In the long run, wild garlic is the best adjutant in treatment of heart disease (ischemia, arrhythmia, tachycardia), and can be taken over a period of 2-3 months (with two weeks of rest), as a tincture: one teaspoon of tincture dissolved in water, four times a day, before main meals. Here is how you can prepare tincture: finely chop fresh leaves and place in a bottle. Add refined alcohol of 38-40 degrees until you cover the leaves. For two weeks keep the bottle in a place where it is exposed to sunlight, then strain and put in storage in small dark bottles. Wild garlics active substances have vasodilatory effects, can cleanse the blood of toxic substances, reduce high blood pressure, helps prevent strokes, avoiding the occurrence of thrombosis and thrombophlebitis.Wild garlic juice combats degenerative rheumatism. Here is how you prepare it: take a handful of chopped fresh leaves, place into a glass and pour over warm water. Let it macerate at room temperature for four hours, then filter through the strainer. Drink 1-2 glasses per day for at least 20 days. The juice should be consumed immediately after preparation. Also combat mastitis, prevents the apparition of breast nodules, removes harmful effects of tobacco and helps heal fresh wounds.
Wild garlic wine is a great tonic for the elderly and a remedy for people suffering from respiratory failure, coughs and pulmonary tuberculosis. You can prepare it by putting a handful of chopped fresh leaves or bulbs in 500 ml/17 oz of white wine. Boil for 5 minutes, let it cool for about 10-15 minutes, strain and add some honey. Drink a glass every morning for 14 days.
You can also prepare wild garlic infusion: add two teaspoons of chopped leaves in 200 ml / 7 oz of boiling water. Drink 1-2 cups daily. It is an excellent remedy for gastrointestinal disorders such as such as acute and chronic diarrhea, indigestion, abdominal colics and dysentery. It will also cleanse your kidneys and bladder, stimulating urination and eliminating excess uric acid, thus preventing gout.