When was garlic introduced to China? The latest answer is here

Garlic is the collective name for plants of the genus Allium, also known as garlic bulb, single-clove garlic, hu garlic, etc. It is a half-year herbaceous plant of the Amaryllidaceae family, genus Allium. According to skin color, it is divided into purple-skinned and white-skinned varieties. It is flattened spherical or short conical in shape, with a grayish-white or light brown membranous scale skin outside, has a pungent odor, can be eaten or used as a seasoning, and can also be used as medicine. Now let us take a look together at when garlic was introduced to China!

When was garlic introduced to China?

Garlic originates from regions such as West Asia and Central Asia. Since Zhang Qian was sent on a mission to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty and brought garlic back to China to settle, it has a history of more than two thousand years. In our country, garlic is an indispensable seasoning in people's daily lives. When cooking fish, meat, poultry and vegetables, it has the effect of removing fishiness and enhancing flavor. Especially in cold dishes, it can both enhance flavor and sterilize. By habit, what people usually call “garlic” refers to the garlic bulb.

Where are the garlic-producing areas in our country?

The main garlic-producing areas in our country include Jinxiang County, Caobe Town in Yanzhou, Lanling County, Laiwu City, Shanghe County, Guangrao County, Chiping County, Chengwu County, and Anqiu City in Shandong Province; the 50,000-hectare garlic demonstration zone in Pizhou City, Feng County, Sheyang County, and Taicang City in Jiangsu Province; Yongnian County and northern Daming County in Hebei Province; Rendong Town in Yulin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Fengying Township in Shenqiu County, Hebingma Village in Zhongmu County, and counties and districts in eastern Kaifeng in Henan Province. Jiading in Shanghai, Bozhou City and Lai'an County in Chuzhou in Anhui, Wenjiang District and Pengzhou City in Sichuan, Dali in Yunnan, Xingping City in Shaanxi, and Xinjiang and other places are also major garlic-producing areas.

What are the benefits of eating garlic often?

1. Antibacterial effect: Garlic is currently one of the strongest antibacterial substances found among natural plants. The sulfur compounds it contains have extremely strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, and have inhibitory and killing effects on many kinds of cocci, bacilli, fungi and viruses.

2. Cancer prevention and anti-cancer: Elements such as germanium and selenium in garlic can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and cancer cells. Experiments have found that the population with the lowest cancer incidence is the population with the highest selenium content in the blood. The U.S. National Cancer Institute believes that among the plants with the greatest anti-cancer potential in the world, garlic ranks first.

3. Lowering blood sugar: Garlic can promote insulin secretion, increase tissue cells' absorption of glucose, improve the human body's glucose tolerance, rapidly lower blood sugar levels in the body, and can kill various bacteria that induce diabetes due to infection, thereby effectively preventing and treating diabetes.

4. Protecting blood vessels: Garlic can prevent fat deposition in the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, induce internal fat metabolism in tissues, significantly increase fibrinolytic activity, lower cholesterol, inhibit platelet aggregation, reduce plasma concentration, increase the dilation of arterioles, and promote blood vessel relaxation, thereby inhibiting thrombus formation and preventing arteriosclerosis.

5. Preventing colds: Garlic contains a pungent compound called “allyl sulfide”, which has a good killing effect on pathogenic bacteria and parasites. It can prevent colds and alleviate cold symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and nasal congestion. At the same time, it can also prevent the occurrence of gastrointestinal diseases.

6. Slowing aging: Certain components in garlic have antioxidant and anti-aging properties similar to vitamin E and vitamin C. At the same time, some studies have found that pork is one of the foods rich in vitamin B1, and vitamin B1 combined with allicin contained in garlic can very well play a role in eliminating fatigue and restoring physical strength.

7. Boosting vitality: Garlic does have an effect in treating impotence and is beneficial to blood circulation, which is very important for erectile function. The mechanism is unclear. A possible explanation is that garlic can stimulate the body to produce nitric oxide synthase, and this enzyme is also an enzyme required for male erection.