History of Garlic
Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants that Sumerians used for a culinary and medical purposes as early as 5000 BC. Presumably it comes from the South-West Asia, Inner Asian steppes or India. In India Garlic has been used against 47 different diseases. The ancient Greeks called garlic a smelling rose and stressed its importance in maintaining manliness.
Egyptians exalted garlic as a deity because they believed that it increases strength and endurance (source).
In the days of the Pharaohs Ancient Egyptians considered garlic so valuable that they put it into graves, even into the grave of pharaoh Tutankhamun. The ancient Greeks gave garlic to Olympic athletes so that they could be stronger and more resilient. In India, the medicinal properties of garlic are described already in the 5000 year old Sanskrit historical records (source).
