Garlic is one of the most popular herbs all over the world. You might be surprised to know that, despite its strong flavor and scent, garlic is actually a member of the lily family — its cousins include onions, shallots and leeks.

Garlic is also good for your heart. Although studies aren’t final, there is some evidence that garlic can cause small reductions in cholesterol over short periods of time (four to 12 weeks). Scientists are continuing to study whether garlic may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol.

Besides the well-known, white-skinned, strongly flavored American garlic, you might want to try Italian and Mexican varieties — both of which are purplish in color and milder tasting.

Then there’s green garlic, which is young garlic before it forms cloves. With its long, green top and tiny white bulb, green garlic looks like a baby leek.

Fresh garlic offers the strongest flavor, but the herb comes in several convenient-to-use forms:

• Dried garlic — dehydrated garlic flakes
• Garlic powder — ground dehydrated garlic flakes
• Garlic salt — garlic powder blended with salt
• Garlic extract — juice that comes from pressed garlic cloves
• Garlic in a jar — minced garlic packed in oil

The amount of garlic you cook with depends on the kind you have on hand. Here’s a guide to measuring garlic:

• 1 head or bulb = about 10 cloves
• 1 small garlic clove = 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic; 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon garlic juice; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 medium garlic clove = 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 large garlic clove = 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 extra large garlic clove = 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Love the taste of garlic but hate the lingering odor on your breath? Try these tips after you eat:

• Chew fennel seeds, a coffee bean, chlorophyll tablets or parsley
• Drink a tablespoon or two of lemon juice with sugar, diluted with water
• Eat lime sherbet