The keeled garlic is an onion plant that grows mainly in central and southern Europe. The pink to purple flowers emerge from green breeding bulbs and sit on small stems. This very rare plant is protected and must not be collected. The medicinal properties are similar to those of chives and onions.
The keeled garlic is native to southern Germany and southern Europe. It prefers to grow on nutrient-poor grassland and moor meadows. The perennial plant grows between 30 and 60 centimetres high. The leaves are 3 mm wide, keeled and linear. The pink to purple flowers appear between June and August. The bulbs at the base of the flower umbels are green. In rare cases the seeds develop from the usually infertile flowers.
Used plant parts
Bulb & Leave.
Essential oils, alliin, cycloalliin, flavonoids, propenylalliin, sterols.
Main use: Digestion.
- Blood lipid-lowering
Forms of preparation
Keeled garlic can be used like young onions and chives. For example, you can make a salad. Cut into small pieces and served with vegetables promotes digestion and stimulates the appetite.
It was used as a substitute for leeks and bulbs, but has never acquired a special significance as a medicinal plant. The extract was used as a remedy against moths. It is now found in nature and wild gardens as an ornamental plant.
In autumn or spring, place the bulbs sufficiently deep in the ground. The keel leek does not tolerate stagnant moisture and is best planted alone, as it is not compatible with many other plants.
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