Emily Chan
We have long been fascinated by vampires, creatures from folklore that feed on human blood. Legends of vampires have existed since ancient times.
Different cultures have their own ideas of how vampires behave and what weaknesses they have.
One common belief about vampires is that garlic repels them. There are a few theories as to why that is.
Garlic is a species of plant in the allium family and has a pungent smell. A chemical compound called allicin is found in garlic, which contributes to the herb’s fragrance and is what gives it a high sulfur content.
A blood disorder called porphyria is often connected to vampirism. The disease causes a buildup of porphyrins in the body. Someone with porphyria is unable to convert porphyrins into heme, a part of hemoglobin, which is a protein in red blood cells.
Those who suffer from porphyria develop physical symptoms, such as pale skin, sensitivity to sunlight, and receding gums, which make teeth appear longer. These are all the typical characteristics of a vampire. In addition, they also had an intolerance to high-sulfur foods like garlic.
If people with porphyria consumed garlic, it would often worsen their symptoms, so they tended to stay away from it. It was also believed that they could replenish their heme supply by drinking blood, feeding further into the connection between porphyria and vampirism.
Another theory states that rabies is the reason behind a vampire’s aversion to garlic. People can develop rabies after being bitten or scratched by a rabid animal.
Symptoms of rabies include aggression, a fear of water, insomnia, which could cause those who are infected to wander around at night, and hypersensitivity to light and strong odors like the aroma of garlic.
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