Garlic, Onions and Leeks for Powerful Medicine

You’ve experienced the succulent tastes of onions and garlic, but what about leeks? Many people just don’t know how to use them. But each of these pungent foods from the Allium family offer the same powerfully cleansing and healing properties.

All of the foods in the Allium family, also known as the lily family, are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Organic sulfuric compounds give these foods their unique piquant flavors and make them highly regenerative; the more pungent the flavor, the more powerful the health benefits.

These medicinal foods help to remove heavy metals and parasites from your body. They clean your arteries and retard the growth of viruses, yeasts, ferments and other pathogenic organisms. They are also full of manganese, Vitamin C, B6, and healing flavonoids.

Read on for the unique properties and healing benefits of each member of this elite family.

Garlic - Food for Healing

Garlic can clear any type of infection within your body, even low-grade and non-symptomatic ones. When our kids get an earache, we make our own healing ear oil with garlic and olive oil and it cures it every time. Simply warm the chopped garlic and olive oil for 5 to 10 minutes, cool it, strain it and place several drops in the ailing ear.

Garlic is also helpful for fighting off colds, flus and viruses, due to its ability to kill pathogenic microbes and promote sweating.¹ Its anti-inflammatory properties are useful in lessening symptoms associated with asthma and arthritis. Garlic has also been shown to relax the blood vessel walls reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attacks.

It fights free radicals and toxic cells, lowering the risk of many cancers including skin, colon, prostate and ovarian cancers. Studies have shown that eating any foods from the Allium family, as little as two times per week, reduces the risk of these cancers. Eating them more frequently can result in as much as an 80% reduction in risk! ²

When buying garlic, make sure the bulbs are plump, firm and free from mold. Elephant garlic, with larger cloves, is more closely related to leeks and doesn’t provide the full health benefits of regular garlic. Store garlic, uncovered, in a cool, dry place. The best way to eat garlic, for its healing properties, is freshly chopped and raw or very gently sautéed. Chopping or crushing it activates the enzymatic process that converts phytonutrients into powerful sulfuric compounds. If you cook garlic at high heat for more than 10 minutes it completely suppresses its phytonutrient actions – but light cooking for several minutes does very little damage.

To assure the full benefits of garlic, check out our recipes for garlic spread, super pesto, peanut sauce, quinoa salad or fresh homemade salsa – all use raw, chopped garlic. You can also add it into our lemon tahini or tahini miso dressings.

Onion, Scallions, Chives and Shallots

Scallions (green onions), shallots and chives are variations on the common onion, possessing many of the same healing properties. But remember, the higher the pungency (and eye watering effect), the stronger the medicine to your body.

Onions, like garlic, maintain more of their cleansing and healing benefits when eaten raw or only lightly cooked. Try sprinkling onion slivers, chopped scallions or chives on top of your salads and soups. Use them in fresh salsa, guacamole, or quinoa tabouli.

Yogic Properties

However, some people may find that garlic and onions are too strong for them. They may irritate sensitive digestive systems and cause heartburn, indigestion or stomach pain. The strong sulfuric compounds may promote too much digestive fire (stomach acids).

Their pungent nature is also known to disperse mental concentration. Once you get beyond the early stages of a healthful plant based diet, your need for these medicinal foods will decrease.¹ In the Ayurvedic and Yogic traditions of India, onion and garlic are considered “rajasic,” or overstimulating. This stimulation upsets the balance of the left and right brain and causes agitation that can hinder meditation and yogic practices. For this, leeks make a great alternative.

Leeks – the milder alternative

They do not have the same antibacterial properties of garlic, but they do have similar cancer fighting benefits and they stabilize blood sugar much like onions. Leeks are also high in iron and folate.

Leeks look like large scallions with a small bulb. They have long, cylindrical white and green stalks wrapped in tight layers. When shopping, choose stalks that are long and crisp with bright green stalks and pure white bulbs. They should not be yellow or wilted. They are generally more available and at their best quality during the Fall and Winter months. Store them unwashed and loosely wrapped in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.

Cleaning leeks properly is important as they retain soil between the layers of stalk and bulb. If you are slicing them into cross-sections, or rounds, slice first, then wash thoroughly in a colander with cool water. If you are keeping them whole or long, to be baked or braised, make an incision lengthwise all the way to the center line, then rinse under cool water, making sure to get the soil out of each layer.

You can replace onions with leeks in almost any recipe. Add finely chopped leeks to salads and soups. They can be used in broth or stews, or boiled and pureed with potatoes. Lightly braise whole leeks and sprinkle with fennel or mustard seeds for a delicate side dish. Add them to our recipes for stir-fry or roasted root vegetables.

¹ Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition), by Paul Pitchford

²World Healthiest Foods