Allium sativum

Also known as garlic plant, hardneck garlic, softneck garlic, garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and western Asia, stretching from the Black Sea through the southern Caucasus, northeastern Iran, and the Hindu Kush. It has naturalized in many other parts of the world, including Mediterranean Europe and China. There are two subspecies and hundreds of varieties of garlic.

OverviewAI-generated

Allium sativum is a species of plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. It belongs to the genus Allium and is classified as a useful plant. Common names for this taxon include cultivated garlic, garlic, Knoblauch, ail, and 大蒜. The organism is a source of garlic and garlic oil. It is used as a medicinal plant, vegetable, and spice.

The taxon range includes China, specifically Fujian, Tibet Autonomous Region, and Guangdong. It is native to Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Specimens have been recorded in Mexico, the United States, and Thailand. The fruit type is a capsule.

Nutritional data for the category garlic lists energy at 296 kcal, fat at 16.2, and proteins at 7.2. It has a nutriscore of a and nova classification of 1. The species is described in sources such as the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary and the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition. It is referenced by 3,359 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 56 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, Openfoodfacts, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, Allium sativum is referenced by 3,359 other articles, and connects out to phosphorus, thiamine(1+) ion and traditional medicine.

It is catalogued under topics including Allium, Belizean cuisine and Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus.

Its subject is documented across 176 Wikipedia language editions.

Species

Allium sativum

SPECIES

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassLiliopsida
OrderAsparagales
FamilyAmaryllidaceae

Native toIran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Observations recorded12,347

「蒜头、大蒜」重定向至此。關於台灣地名，詳見「蒜頭 (地名)」。蒜（学名：Allium sativum），亦名大蒜。地下鳞茎味道辣，有刺激性气味，称为蒜头，可作调味料，亦可入药。蒜叶称为青蒜或蒜苗，花薹称为蒜薹，均可作蔬菜食用。蒜為五辛之一。

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 598
With media: 366
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Collections: FCF-UANL, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT, SEMAHN, INECOL, CM, ANSP
Recorded in: Mexico, United States, Thailand

iDigBio →

Key facts

Nutritional value.name: Garlic, raw
Nutritional value.image: Garlic bulbs and cloves.jpg
Nutritional value.kJ: 623
Nutritional value.protein: 6.36 g
Nutritional value.fat: 0.5 g
Nutritional value.carbs: 33.06 g
Nutritional value.fiber: 2.1 g
Nutritional value.sugars: 1 g
Nutritional value.calcium_mg: 181
Nutritional value.iron_mg: 1.7
Nutritional value.magnesium_mg: 25
Nutritional value.phosphorus_mg: 153
Nutritional value.potassium_mg: 401
Nutritional value.sodium_mg: 17
Nutritional value.zinc_mg: 1.16
Nutritional value.manganese_mg: 1.672
Nutritional value.opt1n: Selenium
Nutritional value.opt1v: 14.2 μg

via Wikipedia infobox

Nutrition · Open Food Facts

Typical values per 100 g · averaged across 24 products

aNutri-Score

1NOVA · Unprocessed / minimally processed

Energy: 296 kcal
Fat: 16.2 g
— of which saturates: 1.5 g
Carbohydrates: 32 g
— of which sugars: 2.6 g
Fibre: 12.5 g
Protein: 7.2 g
Salt: 0.71 g

Browse on Open Food Facts →

via Open Food Facts · ODbL

Research

9,803 papers

Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Garlic (Allium sativum L.): A Review.ReviewNutrients · 2020El-Saber Batiha G, Magdy Beshbishy A, G Wasef L et al.DOI: 10.3390/nu12030872
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in diabetes and its complications: Recent advances in mechanisms of action.ReviewCritical reviews in food science and nutrition · 2024Jiang Y, Yue R, Liu G et al.DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2153793
Exploring the garlic (Allium sativum) properties for fish aquaculture.ReviewFish physiology and biochemistry · 2021Valenzuela-Gutiérrez R, Lago-Lestón A, Vargas-Albores F et al.DOI: 10.1007/s10695-021-00952-7
Allium sativum: facts and myths regarding human health.ReviewRoczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny · 2014Majewski M
Antiviral potentials of garlic (Allium sativum) in poultry production: A mini review.ReviewVeterinary medicine and science · 2023Adjei-Mensah B, Quaye B, Opoku O et al.DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1247
Garlic (Allium sativum) as an antidote or a protective agent against natural or chemical toxicities: A comprehensive update review.ReviewPhytotherapy research : PTR · 2020Dorrigiv M, Zareiyan A, Hosseinzadeh HDOI: 10.1002/ptr.6645
Insights into garlic (Allium Sativum)'s nutrigenomics-associated fly-repellent potency in cattle.ReviewTropical animal health and production · 2025Mudau F, Durunna O, Mapiye C et al.DOI: 10.1007/s11250-025-04406-7
Valorization of garlic (Allium sativum L.) byproducts: Bioactive compounds, biological properties, and applications.ReviewJournal of food science · 2025Jain M, Patil N, Mohammed A et al.DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.70152

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Subclass of: useful plant
Parent taxon: Allium
Image: Allium sativum - Copenhagen Botanical Garden - DSC07941.JPG
Has use: spice

Show 16 more facts

Commons category: Allium sativum
taxon name: Allium sativum
taxon rank: species
GRIN URL: npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=2368
taxon common name: česen
this taxon is source of: garlic oil
Commons gallery: Allium sativum
has fruit type: capsule
Wikidata usage instructions: this is about species, see Q21546392 for the ingredient
taxon range: Myanmar
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
water footprint: 589
short name: A. sativum
taxon author citation: L.
external data available at URL: www.gbif.org/dataset/93725bf2-6ada-47f9-bd5e-0e679e3d245e
different from: garlic

Sources (11)

via Wikidata · CC0

~29 min read

Encyclopedic overview

29 sections

Contents

Description
Chemistry
Taxonomy
Subspecies and varieties
Etymology
Ecology
Cultivation
Propagation
Production
Adverse effects and toxicology
Uses
Nutrition
Culinary
Regions
Culinary history
Storage
Medical research
Cardiovascular
Cancer
Common cold
Folk medicine
Other uses
In culture
Gallery
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

Garlic has been used for thousands of years as a seasoning, culinary ingredient, and traditional medical remedy. It was known in many ancient civilizations, including the Babylonians, Egyptians, Jews, Romans, and Chinese, and remains significant in many cuisines and folk treatments, especially across the Mediterranean and Asia. Sulfur compounds give garlic its pungent odor and flavor. There is insufficient clinical evidence to indicate that consuming garlic has any health benefits.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Allium sativum” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.