Is Wild Garlic Acidic or Alkaline?
Wild garlic (fresh) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Wild garlic is a leafy plant with lots of water, potassium and calcium and little protein, which gives it the alkaline value of −5.8. In spring it often ends up on the plate as pesto or in herb butter, and then cheese, nuts or butter shape the balance more than the leaves do. Finely chopped into soup, quark or potato salad, though, its contribution stays alkaline.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, wild garlic (fresh) ranks #24 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Broccoli (−6.1), Lettuce (−6.2), Carrot (−6.3). More acid-forming are Chanterelle (−5.8), Brussels sprouts (−5.6), Beetroot (−5.6).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is wild garlic acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Wild garlic (fresh) has a PRAL of −5.8 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much wild garlic do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of wild garlic adds −8.8 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of wild garlic roughly offsets one of them.
Why is wild garlic alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Wild garlic provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−5.8).
Wild Garlic logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Vegetables & Salad: Vegetables & Salad table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.