Garlic usage

by Natali Castañeda & Juan Diego Pineda

The reading passage talks about the uses of garlic throughout history in different places and
cultures in the world. For instance, in Ancient Egypt garlic was used as a medicine and to
make the slaves stronger; in Greece and Rome it is said that the belief in garlic had a
magical power because it could ward off evil spells and curses and finally Seafaring cultures
used the garlic in order to have long voyages.

In the listening passage, the professor mentions that for a long time garlic was used like a
superstitious aliment because they gave it mystical meanings such as ward off the bad luck,
and also, they associated it as a cure for many illnesses. An example of this, is the usage of
garlic during the first world war as a treatment. Later, Louis Pasteur discovers that garlic can
kill more than 24 kinds of bacterias. This scientific evidence can explain the reason why
garlic had so many healing functions as the fact of reducing blood pressure.

Therefore, we can say that old knowledge wasn't wrong, however, it hadn't been proved yet.
As we noticed, scientists like Louis Pasteur proved that garlic really has lots of benefits, and
this fact highlights the value of this great food.