Latin name: Allium UrsinumGenus: Leek familyPopulations: Witch’s bulb, wild garlicPlant description: A stem of up to 25 cm height emerges from a bulb. Two basal leaves are lancet-shaped, the white, star-shaped flowers are arranged in an umbel. Flowering time: May to JuneOrigin: found throughout Europe in shady and damp locationsCultivation: in forests with humus-rich soils.
Medicinally used plant parts
The fresh cabbage and onions. Wild garlic loses its effectiveness when dried. The fresh cabbage is collected in spring, the onions are dug up in autumn.
Ingredients
Leek oil, flavonoids, fructosans and vitamin C.
Healing effects and use of wild garlic
Very similar to garlic, bear’s garlic is not used in traditional medicine, but in folk medicine. Bear’s garlic is used in the kitchen in spring as a fresh herb for seasoning soups, salads, curd, butter and much more. The ingredients stimulate the digestion and are used for stomach and intestinal disorders, loss of appetite. Similar to garlic, wild garlic is also used in folk medicine to treat arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure.
Preparation of wild garlic
Fresh cabbage, finely chopped, can be eaten by the spoonful (before meals) or added to meals. Onions can also be added finely chopped or you can prepare a decoction with a little water and take 10 to 20 drops 10 to 20 times a day.
Side effect
None known under normal use. Bear’s garlic leaves are pungent and similar in taste to garlic and for this reason too, an overdose is unlikely. However, wild garlic leaves are very similar to the poisonous leaves of the lily of the valley and the autumn saffron!!!! The best distinguishing feature is the fact that bear’s garlic leaves smell strongly of garlic when rubbed between the fingers.
