Garlic was an Egyptian favorite to cure headaches, tumors and heart problems about 2500 years ago. Probably an Asian plant, but so ancient its ancestor is unknown, garlic was eaten baked whole by the ancient Greeks, and fed wholesale to the Roman legionaries who claimed it gave them strength in battle. Perhaps the enemy confronting these aromatic hoards simply backed rapidly away, who knows.

Known today to be a powerful antibiotic, garlic may have helped save a few people from plague during the Middle Ages. Garlic-eating priests who tended the sick fared better than those less fond of the bulb.

Insects are not happy with garlic but dogs love it. Commercial dog food makers include garlic in every batch.