Linn.
Family: Liliaceae; Alliaceae.
Habitat: Cultivated as an annual all over the country. The most important onion-growing states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh., Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
English: Onion.
Ayurvedic: Palaandu, Durgandh.
Unani: Piyaaz.
Siddha/Tamil: Venkaayam.
Action: Antibiotic, antibacterial, antisclerotic, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antiasthmatic, expectorant, carminative, anti- spasmodic, diuretic, hypotensive, antidiabetic.
Key application: For the prevention of atherosclerosis (German Commission E) and age-dependent changes in the blood vessels, and loss of appetite (WHO).The official onion bulb of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China is a different species, Allium macrostemon Bge., than that of the German Commission E monographs, A. cepa. Chinese onion is used for cough, dyspnoea, angina pectoris and dysentery.Scallions or Spring Onion of Chinese medicine are equated with Allium fistulosum.Onion bulbs contain a volatile oil with sulphurous constituents, including allylpropyldisulphide; sulphur- containing compounds, including al- licin, alliin; flavonoids; phenolic acids and sterols.Hypoglycaemic activity of the onion is attributed to the allylpropyldisul- phide and allicin. Diphenylamine, isolated from mature bulbs, also exhibits potent antihyperglycaemic activity.Alliin and allicin have an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. Antibiotic activity is due mainly to alli-cin.Regular use of onion (50 g/day) reduces insulin requirement of a diabetic patient from 40 to 20 units a day.Thiosulphinates, isolated from onion juice, exhibited antiasthmatic activity in vivo.
Dosage: Juice of bulb—10-20 ml. (CCRAS.)
Linn.
Family: Liliaceae, Alliaceae.
Habitat: Native to Central Asia. Cultivated all over India.
English: Garlic.
Ayurvedic: Lashuna, Rasona, Yavaneshta, Ugragandha, Ma- haushadh, Arishta.
Unani: Seer, Lahsun.
Siddha/Tamil: Ullippoondu, Vellaip- pondu.
Action: Antibiotic, bacteriostatic, fungicide, anthelmintic, antithrom- bic, hypotensive, hypoglycaemic, hypocholesterolaemic. Also used for upper respiratory tract infections and catarrhal conditions.
Key application: As a supportive to dietary measures for elevated levels of lipids in blood; as a preventive measure for age-dependent vascular changes. (German Commission E, ESCOP, WHO, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) Also as an antimicrobial. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia). Garlic has been shown to be effective in respiratory infections and catarrhal conditions. (The British Herbal Compendium.)The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia ofIn- dia indicates the use of the bulb as a brain tonic in epilepsy and psychic disorders.Heavy consumption of garlic prior to surgery led to increased clotting time or reduced platelet aggregation (in human case reports). Garlic tablets at a dose of 400 mg twice daily for 12 weeks reduced platelet aggregation 59% compared with placebo in 80 patients (in human clinical study). (Francis Brinker.)Garlic cloves are high in sulphur- containing amino acids known as al- liin (no taste, no smell, no medicinal action). With crushing or chewing alli- in comes into contact with the enzyme alliinase. Alliinase, in less than 6 s, transforms alliin into allicin (strongly medicinal), which breaks down into a number of sulphur compounds including ajoene, vinyldithin and diallyl disulfide, and trisulfide. The antibiotic effect is attributed to allicin; hypogly- caemic effect to allicin and allylpro- phyldisulphide (also to S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide); anticarcinogenic activity to diallyl monosulfide; platelet aggregation inhibitory effect to diallyl-di- and tri-sulphides. Ajoene inactivated human gastric lipase, which is involved in digestion and absorption of dietary fats.Diallyltetra, penta-, hexa- and hep- tasulphides are potential antioxidants.Allium leptophyllum Wall. is equated with Vana Lashuna, Jangali Lahsun.
Dosage: Bulb—3 g (API Vol. III.)... allium sativum
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