Allium ursinum

Allium ursinum

Allium ursinum L. is a bulbous, herbaceous, perennial, not very tall erect plant with white flowers and broad leaves, delicate and silky, with a pungent smell like garlic. It belongs to the Liliaceae family. It can be found in our forests sometimes in massive and thick populations. The name with which it is commonly known are: garlic, wild garlic, garlic from leafy leaves, garlic from large leaves.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view, mandarin garlic belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, the Kingdom Plantae, the Spermatophyta Superdivision, the Magnoliophyta Division, the Liliopsida Class, the Liliales Order, the Liliaceae Family, and then the Genus Allium and the Species A. ursinum.

Etymology –
The Allium denomination (the genus) is not easily reconstructed since the use and cultivation dates back to at least 3,000 years BC. The term was already in use with the Roman populations. It is thought that the origin is Celtic, from their word “all” for hot, acre as the garlic is just tasted. Even the Greeks knew this “burning” plant because of its strong smell and “allis” probably referred to the spine that covered the inflorescence. The name of the ursinum species comes almost certainly from the bears that at the end of the lethargic drink with this plant to purify the body after long winter sleep. In more recent times, even before Linneo, this genus was already cataloged among the Monocotyledons with about 250 species including Allium ursinum. In Italy there are about thirty different species of the Allium genus, most commonly associated with the pungent odor that comes from a volatile essential oil rich in sulphides.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Garlic is a plant originally from Asia, but has spread all over the world.
This species is distributed mainly in Europe and North Asia. It is located all over Italy, from the floor to 1500 m s.l.m.
The typical habitat of Allium ursinum is damp forests of hardwoods and not in full sunlight, or along the shaded streams. Garlic is therefore a plant of undergrowth that prefers the freshness and shade and can reach 20 to 50 cm in height. The flowers are white in color, star shaped. When rubbing the leaves, the plant emits a distinctive strong smell of garlic. It can form large colonies along the streams. Normally, this slim but resistant plant grows in places where there is considerable humidity, so it favors environments near streams, water pits, rivers and lakes such as forests, meadows, forests, and ponds.

Description –
Garlic is a perennial herb plant; Has an elongated bulb covered with gray-white tunics. Leaves, long up to 20 cm, are ovate-elliptical and narrow in a long winged petiole. The flowering, erect and triangular flower is long up to 40 cm. The flowers, white and star-shaped, are gathered in curly umbrellas to separate the flowers.
The leaves appear between April and June, and the harvest period ends when the first flowers blossom. Before its flowering, its appearance is similar to that of the autumn colchico or the lily with which it is possible to confuse it, although the garlic is characterized by its characteristic odor.

Cultivation –
Allium ursinum grows spontaneously, as has been said, even along watercourses and in areas where the soil is particularly calcareous. For those who want to grow it, the garlic can be multiplied by bulb and bush division, or by sowing, however, in containers of adequate size and not too large. Once they have been born, seedlings are to be planted in larger jars until they are planted. This should be done with care, checking that the plants of the bush are not in areas too exposed to the sun and the hot summer heat, which could dry the leaves.
Watering must be fairly regular and without stagnation, if the plant has been placed in a pot. As for the full land, apart from drowning and dry periods, rains are enough.
New plants can be obtained, as seen, also for sowing in soft soil and well drained. The seedlings must then be transplanted into single jars on a rich substrate. When they are well-developed they settle in full land, preferring fresh and shaded areas.
The flowering of Garlic Orsino usually occurs in the spring months of April and May, although, given the ongoing climate change, it is possible to find several specimens in March; The type of soil that prefers for its development and which is congenial for good growth is that of calcareous soil, ie with over 20% calcium carbonate. You can consult the specific cultivation technique here.

Uses and Traditions –
Garlic is widely used in the Nordic countries because of its natural medicinal qualities and its many therapeutic properties: in those areas it is known for centuries that both the bulb and the leaves of the seedlings, if consumed regularly day by day, also Through the constant use of an infusion made with the same, give many permanent benefits to the whole organism, which has benefited. Statistically, the European country making the most use of it is Germany; It is also the result of its favorable geographic position, which allows the Garlic Orsino seedling to be a perfect development. Fortunately, for a number of years, its beneficial properties are also exploited in Italy, which, in view of the natural and abundant presence of Garlic in the numerous rivers or ponds of ours, sometimes replaces them, preferring them, to the slightly dense ones of common garlic. Another positive aspect of this plant is that every single part of it can be used in its entirety, thus enabling enormous benefits both inside and outside the body that uses it: the bulb, properly chopped or left whole, can in fact be Used for soups, salads and meats, while the flowering part can be used for infusions, omelets and beauty masks.
Garlic was already used in the times of the Celts and Germans as a depurative plant. Even the traces of Neolithic dwellings have been found. In the Middle Ages, the plant was considered superior to common garlic and was widely prescribed. Retaining a magical plant, it was associated with white magic. Thrown in a river allowed to purify the water, while carried by pregnant women had the function of protecting the unborn child. It is believed that the bear consumes it abundantly when leaving the lethargy after the winter time, from which its name.
Garlic has all the garlic properties grown in higher concentrations and has a high vitamin C content plus good slimming properties.
With ursin garlic you can prepare: decoctions, powders, tablets, capsules, oils, ointments, cataplasmas, wraps, elixirs, dyes, syrups, essences.
The therapeutic properties of garlic can be distinguished for indoor and outdoor use.
For internal use, such as depurative, hypotensive, antiseptic, anti-digestive, diuretic, slimming and hypoglycemic, hypolipidising (lowers the rate of bad cholesterol: LDL, and increases the good: HDL).
For outdoor use as rubefactant and disinfectant.
It is used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, diarrhea and intestinal worms. Spinach garlic is used to lower blood pressure and stimulate blood circulation. It is recommended for arteriosclerosis, arthritis and rheumatism. It is effective against intestinal problems, such as stomach ache and flatulence. It promotes digestion, releases the respiratory tract.
Other uses of lime garlic, such as antipyretic (or febrile), and some viral pathologies or liver-related liver disease are documented. It is also indicated in the treatment of gastritis. Anti-inflammatory platelet helps fight the formation of atheromas (atherosclerotic plaques). It appears that its sulfur compounds protect from the onset of tumors.
The bulb is used in the preparation of dyes, syrups, decoys and cataplasmas. Raw raw, allows you to preserve a maximum of vitamin C. Chopped in milk, the bulb carries the function of vermifuge. It also acts as an intestinal antiseptic and is effective in blocking the intestinal fermentation mechanisms, promoting the normalization of intestinal flora. The bulb is also used to fight skin diseases, eczema and swelling.
Essence is used with rubeform action (it causes redness of the skin) against rheumatic pain, but also as an air disinfectant in indoor environments.
Fresh leaves can be added to culinary preparations to fight chronic and acute diarrhea but also intestinal constipation caused by internal cramps. Because the leaves touch very quickly, they must be harvested just before flowering.
The essence of garlic can be used for clutches in the case of rheumatic and neuralgia, including headache. You need to soak 30 g of crushed garlic in 25 cl of vinegar for ten days.
The active ingredients of garlic are almost identical to those of common garlic, but more concentrated. Rich in essential sulfur oil, particularly rich in vitamin C, vinyl sulfide, salts, allicin. It’s a very powerful antimicrobial and a natural antibiotic. It contains a sulphurous glycoside which, by hydrolysis, liberates an essential oil traditionally considered to be the basis of the benefits of garlic, but also of its unmistakable odor.
Due to the concentration of high active ingredients, garlic has a proven advantage over common garlic. It is used as a platelet anti-wrinkle (antithrombotic) and to counter the formation of atheromas. It can also play a slimming and hypoglycemic effect. It is effective in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, diarrhea, but it is also an effective flu. It can be recommended in case of emphysema (obstructive pulmonary disease) or bronchitis because it releases the respiratory tract. To fully benefit from the high vitamin C content, the garlic is consumed raw.
The consumption of garlic is contraindicated in case of gastric, intestinal or urinary irritation. It should not be used by people suffering from skin diseases. Garlic is also not recommended for people with inflammation of the respiratory tract. The consumption of garlic is prohibited for pregnant women and those who breast-feed and should be used with caution in children.
There are no contraindications, or at least known side effects, related to the consumption of garlic, if taken at prescribed doses. Always consult a doctor or pharmacist. Excessive consumption of the product can cause abdominal cramps.
Nevertheless, it is recommended to consume prepared and standardized food preparation in recommended daily doses. Regardless of the benefit you want to gain from the use of garlic, you should consult a doctor or pharmacist.
To sum up, each and every part of this map has immense beneficial properties for both the body and the skin. The therapeutic properties that this type of wild garlic possesses are many and can be summarized in 11 main officinal properties, recognized at the medical level:
1) strong antibiotic and antimycotic action;
2) Capability, verified at the medical level, to lower the rate of bad cholesterol in the blood naturally, with no adverse side effects to the body;
3) the ability to carry out a developed action of blood purification;
4) It is able to operate a natural and effective detoxification of pests and harmful fungi that are sometimes present in the human body;
5) Reduces the presence of heavy metals in the blood;
6) contains essential vitamins and minerals in very high quantities;
7) has disinfectant properties and protects our organism from external attacks by curing the damage already done through the destruction of bacteria and pathogenic germs;
8) It has a strong diuretic action, which allows our kidneys to work best and purify our body from waste materials;
9) has strongly depurative and hypotensive properties, ie regulating and normalizing the heartbeat;
10) is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin PP and hormone-like hormones, useful also during the menopause period;
11) It has properties against the sudden fall of hair and finally
12) has soothing and purifying properties for every skin type.

Methods of Preparation –
For those who want to try not only in harvesting, but also in the use of garlic in the garlic, know that leaves are often used as an alternative to basil in a kind of pesto to Genoese. Just add cheese, pine nuts or nuts and extra virgin olive oil, finishing it all in a mortar or a more modern blender. Look after the leaves, after washing them, wipe them well with kitchen paper, so that they do not become black. Normally the leaves are picked in spring and used fresh. It is also possible to freeze them after they have been crushed and placed in closed bags.
Young leaves are used to give flavor to fish dishes, salads, tender cheeses and boiled potatoes. Flowers can also be edible.
Ultimately, Garlic Orsino can be used in different ways, although its use is usually limited to the culinary environment and skin beauty: the bulb can be used, after being chopped, to season sauces, pasta, Soups, green potatoes, minestrons, omelettes, fish and cous cous, giving these dishes a different flavor and flavor than they would with the use of common garlic.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Treben M., 2000. The Health of the Lord’s Pharmacy, Tips and Experiences with Medicinal Herbs, Ennsthaler Publisher
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (eds.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and surgical uses are indicated for information purposes only; they do not represent any prescription of a medical type; Therefore, no responsibility for their use for any curative, aesthetic or food use is considered.