Significance of garlic

Garlic is a plant with a history in superstitious myths of repelling vampires. Van Helsing uses it to this effect in the novel. He creates garlic flower necklaces and rubs it around room entrances to keep Dracula at bay. There is never any explanation as to why vampires dislike garlic, but it works throughout the narrative, justifying Van Helsing’s open-minded acceptance of ancient superstitions.