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	ALLIUMS Allium species Liliaceae One of the most popular and widespread culinary flavorings is the onion family. The value of these alliums is reflected in the Latin unio, "one large pearl," and the Chinese name "jewel among vegetables." Alliums also have marvelous health-giving properties. The stronger the smell, the more effective their healing powers. Pyramid builders and Roman soldiers on long marches were fed on a daily ration of garlic, whose power even extended to protection from black magic, as vampire films continue to remind us. Today, garlic is a major flavoring in many cuisines. Chives were recorded 4,000 years ago in China and appreciated there by the traveler Marco Polo. He reported their culinary virtues to the West, where they rapidly became indispensable. Chinese chives have a garlic flavor, and the Chinese grow several forms: one for its leaves; one, 'Tenderpole', for its long-stemmed flower buds - good stir-fried or as a garnish; and one to blanch (using clay pots or straw "tents" to produce yellow, sweetly flavored bundles). These blanched chives are featured in a popular meal available on trains and street stalls in China: little finger-length pieces are served wtih rice and slivers of pork, often in prepacked containers with chopsticks. Another important allium species in China and Japan is the Welsh onion (Welsh meaning "foreign"), which provides a continuous supply of onions and leaves throughout the year. Lifespan Hardy perennial bulbs Height 8 inches - 3 feet Seed Black, faceted and tear-shaped, 1/8 inch long, with mild onion flavor. Black, faceted and tear-shaped, fractionally larger than a chive seed. Dried Leaves Require low-temperature drying to retain color; best suited to cooked recipes. Leaves Variable grass (leaf) sizes depend on plant's age, soil fertility and seed source. Garlic Cloves Highly flavored segments of a bulb. Chinese Chives A. tuberosum White, starry, sweet-scented flowers late summer, flat green leaves, mild garlic flavor and tuberous root. Chives A. schoenoprasum Cylindrical leaves and a mild onion flavor. Globular mauve flowers midsummer. Onions A. cepa "Ever-ready" perennial producing sharp-flavored "spring" onions. Rarely flowers. Rocambole/Giant Garlic A. scorodoprasum Mild garlic-flavored bulb. Mauve flowers develop edible aerial bulbs. Welsh Onion A. fistulosum White flowers in summer, and strong-flavored evergreen leaves. Garlic A. sativum White flowers and flat solid leaves with culinary bulb. Tree Onion/Egyptian Onion A.c. var. proliferum Small pickling onions grow on stem tips. May need staking. Ht: 3 feet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ USES* Culinary FLOWER (Chives) Sprinkle florets on salads. LEAF (Chives) Eat in salads, sandwiches and soups and use as a garnish. Add to butter or cream cheese. To reconstitute dried chives, moisten with salad dressing or lemon juice. BULB (Garlic) Use sparingly; rub clove around salad bowl or fondue dish to add flavor. Household WHOLE PLANT (Chives) Grow as deterrent for aphids, apple scab and mildew. Medicinal WHOLE PLANT All alliums contain some iron and vitamins. Chives Sprinkle on food to stimulate appetite and help digestion. Garlic Use to cleanse blood, and clear cough or congestion; take as protection against common colds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GARLIC* Other Names Ajo (Spanish), Poor Man's Treacle, Stinkweed Gender Masculine Ritual Uses Garlic was eaten on festival days to Hecate, and was left at a crossroads as a sacrifice in Her name. Magical Uses Garlic was once worn to guard against the plague. It is still used to absorb disease. Simply rub fresh, peelied cloves of garlic onto the afflicted part of the body, then throw into running water. An old spell utilized garlic in protecting against hepatitis. To do this, simpy wear thirteen cloves of garlic at the end of a cord around the neck for thirteen days. On the last day, in the middle of the night, walk to a corner of an intersection of two streets, remove the necklace, throw it behind you and run home without looking back. Garlic is also extremely protective. Sailors carry some while on board ship to protect against its wreckage. Soldiers wore garlic as a defense in the middle ages, while Roman soldiers ate it to give them courage. It is placed in the home to guard against the intrusion of evil, to keep out robbers and thieves, and is hung over the door to repel envious people. Garlic is especially protective in new homes. Worn, garlic guards against foul weather (mountaineers wear it) as well as monsters, and it also shields you from the blows of your enemies. When evil spirits are about, bite into garlic to send them away, or sprinkle powdered garlic on the floor (if you don't mind smelling it for some time). Garlic is also placed beneath children's pillows to protect them while asleep, and brides once carried a clove of garlic in her pocket for good luck and to keep evil far from her on her big day. Rubbed onto pots and pans before cooking in them, garlic removes negative vibrations which might otherwise contaminate the food. When eaten, garlic acts as a lust-inducer, and when a magnet or lodestone is rubbed with garlic it loses its magical powers. Element Fire Planet Mars Powers Protection, Healing, Exorcism, Lust, Anti-Theft Deity Hecate ~~~~~~~~~~ ONION* Other Names Oingnum, Onyoun, Unyoun, Yn-leac Gender Masculine Planet Mars Element Fire Deity Isis Powers Protection, Exorcism, Healing, Money, Prophetic Dreams, Lust Ritual Uses According to some ancient authorities, the onion was worshipped in some cities in ancient Egypt, and was sometimes invoked while taking oaths. Magical Uses Take a small white onion, stick it full of black headed pins, and place in a window. This will guard against the intusion of evil into the home. The flowers are decorative and protective, and can be dried and placed in the home for an unusual and attractive protective amulet. Carried, the onion gives protection against venomous beasts. Grown in pots or in the garden they also shield against evil. Halved or quartered onions, placed in the house, will absorb negativity and evil, as well as disease. For healing, rub the cut edge of an onion against the afflicted part of the body, visualizing the disease going into the onion. Then destroy the onion (burn or smash to pieces and bury). Settlers in New England hung strings of onions over doorways to guard against infections, and a cut onion placed beneath the kitchen sink has long been used for the same purpose. To cure warts, rub them with a piece of onion and throw over your right shoulder. Walk away without looking back. A large red onion tied to the bedpost protects its occupants against sickness, and aids in recuperation. Never throw onion skins and peelings onto the ground; if you do, you throw away your prosperity. Instead, burn them in the fireplace or cookstove to attract riches. An onion placed beneath the pillow can produce prophetic dreams. If you are faced with making a decision, scratch your options on onions, one to each onion. Place them in the dark. The first one that sprouts answers you. Some ancient authorities state that when eaten, the onion "provokes to venery," i.e., produces lust. Magical knives and swords are purified by rubbing their blades with cut fresh onions, and if you throw an onion after a bride you'll throw away her tears.