36. The Ancients Swore by Garlic
Another odd ancient Egyptian pregnancy test, although less successful than the peeing on wheat and barley seeds one, had to do with garlic. Egyptian women who might be pregnant would place a clove of raw garlic next to their cervix when they went to bed at night. When they woke up the next morning, if the sulfuric taste of garlic had migrated to their mouth, they were thought to be pregnant. Unfortunately, it does not seem that any modern scientific tests have supported the effectiveness of the garlic pregnancy test.
Egyptian men also had a special use for garlic. The ancient Greek philosopher Charmidas wrote that Egyptian husbands chewed garlic cloves on their way home from their mistresses, so their wives would not suspect that anybody would have been kissing them with such bad breath. Other ancient cultures ascribed various medicinal properties to garlic, from relieving headaches to curing rabies. The Roman naturalist Pliny thought garlic could sap a magnet’s power, while Roman legionaries were fed garlic in the belief that it would give them courage. Either that, or repel the enemy with their garlic breath.