Wild garlic

Wild garlic, one of the oldest medicinal plants in Europe, is a native wild herb and belongs to the allium family and is therefore related to chives, onions and garlic. In the kitchen, it is used fresh as a spice, for pestos, spreads, wild herb salads and sauces.

In ancient times and the Middle Ages, wild garlic was used as a medicinal plant for digestive disorders and as a means of purifying the blood. In addition to flatulence and abdominal pain, wild garlic was used for problems falling asleep and to induce labor in pregnant women.

Wild garlic herb, s. Allii ursini herba, is used phytotherapeutically

Empirical medicine: Onion juice of wild garlic: for high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis,

Leaves: for gastrointestinal complaints, flatulence, high blood pressure and circulatory problems, also for skin impurities and skin diseases.

Fresh wild garlic leaves: hemostatic for minor bleeding wounds.

ESCOP: Not processed

HMPC: Not processed

Commission E: No monograph

Current studies (Danuta Sobolewska) suggest a cardioprotective potential of wild garlic, as well as an inhibition of platelet aggregation, cholesterol synthesis and the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and thus a blood pressure-lowering effect. Furthermore, in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities have been demonstrated in wild garlic.

1. D Sobolewska et al. (2015) Allium ursinum: botanical, phytochemical and pharmacological overview. Phytochemistry reviews, 14,: 81-97-

2. Blaschek W (2015) Wichtl tea drugs and phytopharmaceuticals. A handbook for practice. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Munich. S 61-62