In my teenage years I loved going to the movies with my parents and siblings. The day out to the movies was a grand occasion for us. It was a special occasion because my parents would find time to spend with us at the movies. It was also great because we would be treated to snacks and ice cream before or after the movies.

In those days the movie houses showing English films were Palladium on Sule Pagoda Road, Royal and Carlton Houses which were a stone’s throw away from Scot Market (Bogyoke Market). These movie houses have been demolished and Traders Hotel and Central Hotel have been built in their places.

The movies I like seeing are thrillers and horrors. ‘Count Dracula’, ‘Vampires’, the ‘Brides of Dracula’ were then quite popular. Christopher Lee was the blood sucking Count Dracula and Peter Cushing acted as the Dracula killer. In these movies, young maidens were the victims of Count Dracula who would suck the blood from their throats and the victims would become the living dead like the Count. Peter Cushing the Dracula killer would kill off these monsters by driving a wooden stake through their hearts or shooting them with a silver bullet. The villagers near the castle where Dracula resides were warned to make garlands of garlic flowers or keep garlic near them to frighten and ward off the evil creatures from coming near the maidens.

So garlic has been playing quite an important role even in those ancient times. Now-a-days garlic also is an essential commodity for cooks, for without garlic our curries would not have an appetizing flavour. Housewifes need garlic in the kitchen. We would pound the garlic and make puree for our curries.

I recently read in the newspaper that researchers have isolated a compound in garlic that is 100 times more potent than antibiotics in combating the campylobacter bacteria, one of the commonest causes of intestinal illnesses. Many people are affected by campylobacter every year, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Many suffer from cramping, abdominal pain and fever. The compound diallyl sulphide in garlic reduces diseasecausing bacteria in the environment and in our food supply, said a postdoctoral researcher who led the study. He and his colleagues looked at the ability of the garlic compound, diallyl sulphide, to kill the bacteria when it is protected by a slimy biofilm that makes it 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy reports. They found the garlic compound can easily penetrate the protective biofilm and kill bacteria cells by combining enzymes, changing the enzyme’s function and effectively shutting down cell metabolism. The researchers found that diallyl sulphide was as much as 100 times effective than much of the antibiotics Cryllromycin and Ciprofloxacin and would then work in a fraction of the time.

The fruits and vegetables we eat everyday have qualities which combat many forms of diseases. Garlic is good for the blood. It prevents gastro-intentinal problems. It also digests food. It kills bacteria. It prevents leprosy and skin diseases. One garlic contains 30 percent starch, 6 percent protein, 60 milligram vitamins and 4 percent of other minerals. If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, high blood pressure, clotting of the blood and finally stroke and heart failure results. Taking garlic neutralizes the blood.

Mahatma Gandhi, one of the world’s famous peace architects included garlic in his daily meals and said that it cured him of his high blood pressure.

Therefore, we also should have garlic always in our kitchens for its medicinal qualities and to cook healthy food for our family.