ALLIUM SATIVUM

Allium sativum is commonly known as garlic. It belongs to the natural order Liliaceae. This plant is closely related to onion, chive, leek, Chinese onion and welsh onion. Allium sativum plant is easy to cultivate and in the mild climates it can be grown throughout the year. In colder climates the bulbs of the plant are best sown about six weeks prior to the freezing of the soil. This is to ensure that the bulb produces only roots and does not produce any shoot above the ground. The Allium sativum plant can even be grown close together in containers of adequate depth. It is a flowering plant that grows perennially from a bulb up to a height of 1m or 3ft. It is a native plant of central Asia and Iran. China has the reputation to produce about 80% supply of garlic throughout the globe.

Allium sativum plant has been in use by humans for past several thousand years. It has been widely in use for mainly food flavoring purpose and as a traditional medicine. Regular consumption of garlic is related to the prevention of several disease conditions related to the heart and the blood system, regulating blood pressure, decreasing blood sugar and cholesterol levels, boosting immune system, fighting against various infections as well as having antitumoral benefit. The bulb is the most frequently used part of this plant.Garlic is known to contain many sulfur containing compounds such as Allicin, Ajoene, Vinyldithiins, Diallyl polysulfides, S-allylcysteine and many other non sulfur- containing compounds such as enzymes, lavonoids, saponins and maillard reaction products.

What are the various Allium sativum uses in homeopathy?
Fresh bulb of allium sativum plant is used to make the mother tincture. It is mainly used from third to sixth potency for treatment purpose.

Allium sativum homeopathic benefits are seen in treatment of various conditions such as hair fall, common cold, bronchitis, dyspepsia colic and constipation/diarrhea, skin affections, menstrual disorders in females and rheumatic complaints such as sprains and coxalgia.

Prominent Allium sativum uses are:-

It acts directly on the mucus membrane of the intestinal tract and increases peristaltic movement. It helps to treat colitis where there is presence of pathological flora in the colon.
-It has vaso-dilatory action. About twenty-forty drops of the allium sativum mother tincture have been found to cause arterial hypotension within 30-45 minutes of ingesting it.
It is useful for the treatment of various rheumatic troubles particularly in conditions where hip is the main area affected. It is used for the treatment of pain in hips, iliac and psoas muscles.
It is found to be helpful to treat pulmonary tuberculosis. In such cases Allium sativum helps by reducing cough and expectoration, regulating normal body temperature, promoting healthy weight gain and making sleep regular. It even helps to treat lung conditions with hemoptysis or blood while coughing.
It helps to treat respiratory troubles such as bronchitis where there is constant rattling of mucus in the throat. The cough is most intense on waking in the morning after the person leaves the bedroom. There is mucus expectoration which is very tenacious, difficult to rise and highly fetid. This cough may also be associated with darting pains in the chest.
It helps to treat digestive troubles in people with voracious appetite especially for non- vegetarian diet. There is profuse and sweetish salivation from the mouth which increases after meals and at night. The least change in diet generally causes dyspepsia. During this dyspepsia the patient is found to suffer from burning eructation and constipation with constant dull aching in the bowels.
It helps to treat headache that stops during menstrual flow and then reappears after menses ceases. There maybe associated vertigo that worsens while reading.
It helps to treat skin conditions with dryness and shriveling of skin particularly over the joints. There are often white spots seen on the face with dry lips. Also dandruff with associated hair fall is effectively treated using Allium sativum
In females Allium sativum efficiently treats premenstrual syndrome. It helps to treat pain and swelling in breast and headache that aggravates before menses and get better when the flow begins. It also helps to treat the eruptions on vulva, vagina and breast that occur during the menses.
In children Allium sativum helps to treat torpid bowels and constipation with drowsiness.

What are the characteristic indications for the homeopathic prescription of Allium sativum?

There are some characteristic indications for the prescription of Allium sativum. These include:-

Easy disturbance of digestion from least irregularity in diet.
Pains which are pressing from within outward, stinging or burning pains or stinging pains with paralytic weakness. These pains at times increase gradually to a point and then decrease gradually.
Headache which is in connection with indigestion and in females it is found to be associated with menstruation. The headache becomes better with the onset of menses and again becomes worse after the menses cease. With this headache, the patient can hardly open the eyes.
There is a sensation of hair on tongue that characteristically increases on reading. The tongue is generally pale with red papillae.
The menses are profuse and during menses there is soreness of thighs and vulva. The breasts get swollen and are painful to touch
Characteristic respiratory symptoms of Allium sativum include cough and bronchial catarrh with difficult and gelatinous expectoration.
The cough leads to very fetid breath and is especially triggered when smoking
The pain in hips which is the seat of many rheumatic complaints has tearing pains that get aggravated from least motion, though the patient can lift the limb with his hands.
The skin is characteristically dry, shriveled with tightness seen especially over the joints. There are herpetic eruptions with burning, itching, and red or whitish spots on affected area.
What are the factors that aggravate or ameliorate the various signs and symptoms when allium sativum is indicated for prescription?
Many factors have been found to increase or decrease the sufferings of Allium sativum patient such as:-

Open air increases the chest complaints.
Moist heat such as steam increases pain in the limbs.
Reading aggravates eye and mouth symptoms.
Looking for long and constantly at anything seems to increase the vertigo.
Pressure increases pain in abdomen.
Walking increases pain in the limbs.
Least movement such as that caused by every step increases excruciating pain in the intestines.
Many symptoms are found to increase in the evening and night.
Drinking bad water increases many symptoms.
Least error in diet disturbs the digestion.
On the other hand sitting bent seems to gives relief in the pain in abdomen.
What kind of patients responds the best to the action of Allium sativum?
Allium sativum is found to work the best in patients who have the following features:-

Dark complexion
Strong constitution that is firm flesh, though some are occasionally found to be predisposed to obesity.
Who are inclined towards excesses at the table and eat a great deal more than they eat.
It is more suited to nonvegetarians especially those who eat meat than strictly vegetarians.
The digestion of Allium sativum patient is easily disturbed by least error in diet.
Mentally the Allium sativum patient is found to be fearful that he will never get well or that he will be poisoned. He fears that he will not be able to bear any medicine. There is great anxiety and impatience in the mental sphere. He is desirous of many things but when offered he seems to be pleased by nothing.
It is suited to children who are extremely pale, drowsy, and lifeless with no inclination to walk. Such children are found to have their legs not growing as rapidly as the rest of the body.
Conclusion
Allium sativum homeopathy medicine uses are diverse. The medicine is derived from garlic which has been used as a condiment since time immemorial and also as a medicine to treat worms and fever. The tincture is prepared from fresh bulbs and this medicine is most commonly prescribed from 6th to 30th CH potency. Ailments arising from drinking bad water and due to gluttony best respond to the action of this medicine. It has special affinity for intestinal mucus membrane and is thus often used to treat dyspepsia, burning eructation, and constipation in patients of all age groups. It shows best results in patients who are non- vegetarians rather than those who are strict vegetarians. Such people who tend to eat more than they drink and are at the same time easily affected by slightest error in their diet are the ones most benefitted by this medicine. Not only this Allium sativum has vasodilatory action and can thus effectively help to treat cardiovascular conditions like hypertension. It acts on the respiratory system and helps to treat conditions such as pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchiectasis with difficult and very fetid expectoration and hemoptysis. Thus we can see that Allium sativum works effectively to treat conditions related to its sphere of action