There are recipes for garlic soup made using heads of garlic (not just cloves). IIRC, the active ingredient in garlic forms only in the presence of oxygen and cooking destroys the precursor. So the characteristic flavor develops only if you chop it or crush it, but if you cook whole heads it remains rather mild.
I don’t think the taste of garlic is any sort of effective warning to not eat it. It’s precisely because of the taste of garlic that my 2-person household blows through bulbs of the stuff. 40-Clove Chicken, anyone?
Also, yes, it can be used as a vegetable. I roast whole bulbs all the time - gets all soft and buttery and mild, makes a great spread for crackers or toasty bread.
Wait, wait … leaves are “not meant to be eaten?” 
Wha … ? Not meant by whom?
Try telling that to all the leaf-eating herbivores in the world. (Bad goats, shame on you!) Not to mention, the lettuce in my sammich.
Turning things back to the OP … in the interest of science, the Other Shoe and I will attend the State Fair of Texas soon, and I will report back on the worst food for you, since I’m pretty sure it’s either deep-fried butteror chicken-fried bacon.
Just as a follow-up on Miller’s post, I thought I should point out that some respected cat food companies ( I’m thinking specifically of Old Mother Hubbard’s “Wellness” brand ) use or used garlic in their listed ingredients. This has caused the occasional stir of concern among the online pet communities, but OHM’s replies have basically been that it is in trace amounts for flavor and is nowhere near enough to ever trigger a toxic response ( also garlic generally, while a relative of onions, apparently has rather less toxic potential for cats relative to actual onions ).
There also seems to be an issue of garlic-in-oil. It seems that garlic-in-oil that is not stored at the correct temp or use fast enough can cause botulism. From what I understand, botulism isn’t as fun as it sounds. Here is a link from Health Canada.
It should be borne in mind that the main herbivores of most plants are insects, and toxins are designed to deter them rather than mammals. Of course, small doses of chemicals may have highly toxic effects on small animals, while much larger animals will just shrug them off. (However, often some specialized herbivores will evolve defenses against the toxins and thus be able to eat the plant.) These compounds may also act as bacteriacides or fungicides, which is the basis for many of them being used in traditional medicines, or more recently used in the development of pesticides and pharmeceuticals.
The garlic bulb represents a storage organ for food for the plant, which it will use to produce flowers and seeds, replace leaves that have been eaten, and survive through the winter or other environmental stresses. It is vital to the plant, which is the reason why many bulbs are protected by toxic chemicals.
It may well be an effective warning for the herbivores that it is designed to defend against. Most of the spices and flavorings we use in cooking are actually produced by the plant by insecticides or as defenses against other herbivores; they stimulate our taste buds without having seriously detrimental effects on us because the dosage is too small.
Of course, the statement that leaves are not meant ot be eaten is from the viewpoint of the plant. Obviously losing leaves generally is detrimental. Fruits, on the other hand, are produced by the plant in order to attract animals that will disperse the seeds, so they are “meant to be eaten.” Herbivores that eat leaves are exploiting the plant for food without providing any benefit.
I presume you are talking about iceberg lettuce, which has been bred to be free of any bitter toxins. Many varieties of lettuce, including wild ones, are quite bitter as a defense against herbivores.
Wow, looking at this site’s home page I’m convinced it’s ran by paranoid schizophrenic conspiracy theorists. There’s a page on why vaccinations are evil, why caffeine is one of the “main causes of every health problem”, “electromagnetic stress,” feng shui tips, and a whole b unch of other utter nonsense. It’s sites like this that end up setting society back because of stupid, gullible people believing this stuff. :smack:
If garlic were toxic, I’d have died years ago. I put so much into some meals it might more properly be considered a side dish than an ingredient.
Garlic and onions help to prevent cancer: Tufts & Health Nutrition - Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter
“Toxic” and “toxin” are bullshit words. Or rather, “toxic” is legitimate as an adjective applied to the word ‘dose’, but “toxin” has no scientific basis whatsoever. Anything can be toxic, including water, depending on its dose.
Garlic does contain an active chemical that has the potential to be toxic at a reasonable dose. (An LD50 of 80 grams of oil or two pounds of fruit isn’t unreasonably high.) But at a much lower dose, the dose at which it is commonly encountered, it is actually beneficial. AND HERE IS THE CATCH. Most “toxins” are similarly beneficial at very low doses. (E.g., sulfites and alcohol, as you all know, but even arsenic makes farm animals, at least, grow meatier and healthier.) The effect is called hormesis. It is extremely underapperciated today, but it’s true. Even if you want to argue about it, I think everyone will agree about the general principle of dosage and that things should not be labeled as toxic for what they might do at one dose but not another. It’s illogical.
If you were to inject garlic you’d die shortly. if you have a leaky gut or weak stomach/intestinal linings then garlic can hurt you. garlic is an acid that physically burns mucous membrane. if any of this powerful acid enters your bloodstream then it can even damage brain tissue itself. this being said, cooking garlic for a few minutes greatly reduces the risks.
No shit. If you inject peanut butter, milk or bread, you would die quickly.
Mind giving some cites for your ridiculous claims?
Are we talking fresh garlic or zombie garlic?
The National Institutes of Health offer some quality straight dope, including potential concerns.
Diji I’d like to second Runner Pat’s skepticism and request for cites.
Congratulations-you’ve just proven the toxicity of air.
Thanks, I’ll be sure to cook garlic in the future before injecting it.
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diji, welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board (SDMB). Note that the thread you are replying to is from 2009. Threads that get revived like this are often referred to as “zombies” around here. We don’t mind zombies, as long as you contribute something new to the discussion, but you can usually expect a few zombie jokes due to the thread revival. Please note however that many of the thread’s original participants may no longer be around to reply to your comment.
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Why the hell would anyone inject garlic?
Dammit - 2009 thread :smack:
If I had a “leaky gut” I would worry more about peritonitis than about garlic.
Certain Transylvanians find garlic injurious to their health.