What You Need To Know About Taking Garlic To Treat High Blood Pressure

Everything you need to know about garlic and how it affects high blood pressure

It's no secret that garlic isn't just used to flavor a meal. Adding it to your diet can help you treat many chronic diseases. Its potential benefits include lowering your cholesterol, preventing cancer, and acting as a blood thinner. Perhaps one of the most underrated abilities of this pungent-smelling herb is its ability to lower blood pressure. Here is a detailed breakdown of what you should know about using garlic to treat hypertension.

How does garlic treat your high blood pressure?

Recent research¹ has shown that garlic can be a suitable remedy for lowering high blood pressure with fewer side effects than most prescription drugs. So, what does garlic have that treats high blood pressure?

Allicin. This is the main active compound in garlic, considered the contributing factor in garlic's ability to lower blood pressure. According to recent research, allicin can prevent angiotensin production, a hormone responsible for raising blood pressure by contracting the blood vessels.

By inhibiting angiotensin, allicin allows your blood to flow freely and easily, reducing your blood pressure. Finally, many experts believe that garlic's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability help prevent and reduce high blood pressure.

What does research say about garlic to treat high blood pressure?

Many research studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of garlic in reducing high blood pressure. In a report published by BMC Cardiovascular Disorders² (2008), a review of 11 previously published clinical trials showed that garlic was a better remedy for reducing blood pressure for people with hypertension compared to alternatives.

Based on this research, ten of the 11 published clinical reports claimed that garlic lowers blood pressure among patients with high systolic blood pressure. However, it wasn't associated with blood pressure decrease among patients with low systolic blood pressure.

In another clinical trial published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition³, participants who took high doses of garlic showed significant blood pressure reduction.

In this clinical trial, the 79 participants were given a garlic extract or dosage of 240mg of garlic, 480, or 960 for 12 weeks. Among these people, those that took 480 or 960mg of garlic extract showed a significant lowering of the systolic blood pressure reading. Those that took 240mg didn't experience any decrease in their systolic blood pressure.

From the above two pieces of research, it's reasonable to conclude that garlic can be a suitable remedy for treating your blood pressure. So, the question arises, how much garlic is enough to treat your high blood pressure? Let's see.

How much garlic should you use to treat high blood pressure?

The amount of garlic that can treat your high blood pressure narrows down to specific doses from a report based on several clinical trials¹. So far, this report has provided the following garlic doses for treating hypertension:

• 188mg of garlic powder mixed with egg-yolk taken daily for twelve weeks

• 400mg of raw garlic taken daily for six months

• 240-2,400mg of aged garlic extract a day for two to twenty-three weeks

• 600 – 2,400mg of garlic powder daily for eight to twenty-four weeks

• 12.3mg of garlic oil daily for sixteen weeks

Even though the above dosage and forms can significantly lower blood pressure, most studies suggest that using aged garlic extract can achieve the most benefits. Apart from that, taking high doses between 400mg to 2,4000mg proves to be more effective than lower doses.

What is the best form of garlic to treat high blood pressure?

You can use different forms of garlic to treat your high blood pressure. These forms are as follows:

Eat it raw

Eating raw garlic is one of the best ways you can use garlic to lower your blood pressure. Raw garlic activates alliinase, an enzyme that converts alliin into allicin. You should consume raw garlic within an hour or two of a meal to activate alliinase and achieve maximum benefits.

Garlic powder

Using garlic powder can also significantly lower your blood pressure, with 600-900mg of it leading to a 9-12% reduction of your high blood pressure⁴. This garlic powder contains 3.6mg to 5.4mg of allicin, hence its excellent results.

Salads

Garlic is also a good option for making your salad healthier, in addition to adding flavor. You can add minced or grated garlic to your daily salad to reduce your high blood pressure.

Garlic milk

You can also use garlic milk to reduce your high blood pressure and achieve an overall benefit on your health. All you have to do is mix ten to twelve minced garlic cloves to warm milk. It will also help to add a tablespoon of honey into the drink to achieve better results.

What are the best garlic supplements for treating high blood pressure?

There are several garlic supplements available on the market. Here are the top seven supplements you can consider:

BRI Nutrition Odorless Garlic

This is arguably the best-known garlic supplement on the market. Compared with other supplements, this product is suitable for vegans and is sold in capsules, guaranteeing immediate results and being easy to swallow. It is claimed to improve bad LDL cholesterol, in addition to a wide range of other benefits, enhancing your overall health.

Some of the details you should know about this supplement include:

1. Sold as capsules

2. Suitable for vegans

3. Used to eliminate cholesterol 

4. Allows a dosage of two capsules every day

5. Has a maximum of 120 capsules

Sundown Garlic

If BRI Nutrition Odorless garlic is not an option, Sundown Garlic should be your second choice. It's an odorless supplement free from allergens like fish, starch, sodium, lactose, and sugar.

Sundown Garlic works to improve your heart problems like arrhythmia and heart rate. It doesn't have any sweeteners or artificial dyes, making it a reliable option.

Some of the details you should know about this supplement include:

1. Sold as softgels

2. Not suitable for vegans

3. Used to remove bad cholesterol and improve your heart health

4. Allows a dosage of one softgel for a maximum of four times a day

5. Has a quantity of 250 softgels

Nature's Bounty Garlic

Nature's Bounty Garlic is your best choice if you're on a budget. Every tablet of this supplement contains 2000 mg of natural garlic. Some of the details you should know about it are as follows:

• Sold as tablets

• Suitable for vegans

• Lowers blood pressure by improving cardiovascular health

• Allows a dosage of one tablet twice or three times a day with food

• Contains 120 tablets

NutraChamps Pills

This supplement is made to boost your immune system and lower your blood pressure. The company that manufactures this supplement uses fresh cloves, making it odorless. Some of the critical details you should note about it are as follows:

• Sold as softgels

• Not suitable for vegans

• Its key benefits are improving the immune system and keeping you healthy

• Take a maximum of two capsules per day

• Contains 120 softgels

KYOLIC Aged Garlic Extract

This is a 100% organic garlic supplement suitable for getting rid of LDL cholesterol. According to the manufacturer, using aged garlic extract also removes garlic odor, making it easy to take at any time. They also claim they improve your health and swiftly tackle your cardiovascular issue compared with other garlic forms.

Some of the key details you should know about it are as follows:

1. Sold as capsules

2. Unsuitable for vegans

3. Achieves swift results when lowering your LDL cholesterol or high blood pressure

4. Users can take a maximum of two daily

5. Contains 100 capsules

Puritan's Pride Odorless Garlic

This supplement is popular for its zinc-rich component to improve metabolism, blood circulation, and the entire immune system.

Manufacturing of this supplement uses traditional herbs known for their antioxidant properties, making it suitable for treating other conditions like poor immune response and acne. It helps lower your blood pressure by doing away with LDL cholesterol and maintaining healthy circulation.

Some of its key details are as follows:

• It's sold as a softgel

• Not suitable for vegans

• Works by actively helping your body lower persistent high blood pressure

• Can be taken at a maximum of two per day

• Contains 250 softgels

Nutricost Garlic

This is a gluten-free garlic supplement. It offers better immunity, heart condition, and restfulness results for those with tolerance issues since it has no gluten and is odorless. Some of its key details are as follows:

• Sold as a softgel

• Unsuitable for vegans

• Can be taken once to four times when eating

• Contains 240 softgels

The lowdown

Even though garlic intake might help improve your health and lower your blood pressure, it shouldn't be the only treatment for your hypertension. Garlic or garlic supplements should complement your primary high blood pressure medication.

Controlling your blood pressure is vital since it helps avoid significant health issues like heart problems, kidney issues, and even vision loss. If you want to use garlic as a substitute treatment, consult your physician first.