Short answers, pulled from the story.
Garlic is native to Central Asia, northeastern Iran, and the foothills of the Himalayas. At least 120 cultivars trace their origins to Central Asia, making it the primary center of garlic biodiversity. It has since naturalized across Mediterranean Europe, China, and many other parts of the world.
The sharp flavor and pungent odor of garlic are produced when the plant's cells are damaged by chopping, chewing, or crushing. Enzymes then break down sulfur-containing compounds in the cell fluid, producing allicin and related compounds. Allicin is specifically responsible for the burning sensation of raw garlic and is broken down by cooking, which is why cooked garlic is milder.
China is by far the world's largest garlic producer, accounting for seventy-three percent of total world production in 2024, according to the United Nations FAOSTAT. World production that year reached thirty million tonnes.
Clinical evidence for garlic's health benefits is limited. As of 2016, consuming garlic was found to produce only a small reduction in blood pressure (4 mmHg) with no clear long-term effect on hypertension. Reviews also found insufficient evidence that garlic prevents or treats the common cold, and no consistent effect on colorectal cancer.
Garlic can cause bad breath and body odor due to allyl methyl sulfide entering the bloodstream. It may interact with medications including warfarin, antihypertensives, calcium channel blockers, and the quinolone family of antibiotics. Raw garlic applied directly to skin has caused serious burns, and the American Veterinary Medical Association considers garlic toxic to pets.
Garlic appears in the foundation myth of the ancient Korean kingdom of Gojoseon, where eating twenty cloves of garlic and mugwort for one hundred days transformed a bear into a woman. Central European folk traditions used garlic as a ward against vampires and demons. Garlic is also one of the seven required items on the Persian Nowruz haft-sin table, and several religions including some Mahayana Buddhist traditions list it among foods to be avoided.