Uses of Wild Garlic

Though it is considered a weed by some, wildcrafters exclaim with pleasure when they come across a colony of wild garlic. Allium vineale and Allium ursinum are both called wild garlic. These two closely related plants are members of the Alliaceae family, which also includes onions. Chopped wild garlic leaves can replace fresh chives on top of baked potatoes, or can dress up a serving of cottage cheese. Wild garlic has similar medicinal qualities as its cultivated cousins, onions and garlic.

Botanical Facts

Native to Eurasia, this perennial plant makes its home in the moist soil of woodlands, in wheat fields, and along pavements and railroads. Other names for wild garlic include wild onion, bear garlic, field onion and ramsons, according to the University of Tennessee Extension, UTE. Wild garlic is considered a pest by many, and is especially problematic for commercial wheat growers and dairy farmers. Cattle feed on the plant and then produce milk with an onion-like taste and smell, according to UTE.

Edible Uses

Enthusiasts of foraging extol the pleasures of wild garlic. On the Cincinnati Locavare website, a local wildcrafter notes that while its tiny bulb can be substituted for shallots, cleaning the bulb is a labor-intensive task. Alternatively, you can clip off the tender green leaves, and refrigerate them, swathed in a moist paper towel and plastic bag. Gernot Katzer, PhD, a scientist with the Institut Chemie at Austria's University of Graz, explains on his website that the plant contains several sulfur compounds, which impart its characteristically onion-like smell.

Health Benefits

Most of the health advantages of garlic, Allium sativum, are present in wild garlic, although the latter's effect on human physiology is weaker. According to UTE, Native Americans utilized this plant as a foodstuff, and to treat asthma, hypertension and scurvy. All members of the Allium species aid digestion and alleviate intestinal gas, due to their sulfur compounds and volatile oils. The wild garlic bulb possesses the highest concentration of bio-active constituents, and acts as an astringent, diuretic and expectorant, explains the website of Plants for a Future, PFAF. Consult a qualified health care professional before using herbal remedies for any health condition.

Safety and Considerations

Be aware that certain toxic plants, including Star of Bethlehem and lily of the valley, are easily mistaken for wild garlic. According to G. Mazza, a biochemist from the Canadian Food Research Program and author of "Functional Foods: Biochemical and Processing Aspects, Volume 2," two people were poisoned when they mistook meadow saffron, also called autumn crocus, with wild garlic. One of them died. PFAF reports that dogs and other mammals may poisoned if they consume large amounts of wild garlic.