Garlic has been used over the centuries for medicinal purposes such as prevention of infection. The antioxidant power of garlic has been studied in heart disease and cancer prevention. Some episodes of vertigo may be related to low pressure. Check with your health-care provider for information on garlic use and garlic supplements.
Vertigo
The Merck Manuals describe vertigo as a sensation rather than a diagnosis. Vertigo is a false sensation of movement of self or the environment. The feelings experienced may be a spinning, wheeling sensation or a feeling of being pulled to one side. The term dizziness if often a description of the sensation of vertigo.
Properties of Garlic
Fresh garlic has been used for centuries as a food and for medicinal purposes. In recent times garlic was used to treat gangrene in World Wars I and II, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Benefits of garlic include antioxidant properties, immune system protection, blood-pressure reduction and prevention of arterial plaque build-up. The Medical Center states garlic shows promise in the treatment of heart disease and cancer.
Importance of Allicin
Garlic's power seems to come from a sulfur-containing chemical called alliin, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Crushing garlic yields the compound allicin from alliin. Allicin appears to produce the aroma for which garlic is known. The body, however, needs to effectively be able to absorb allicin. Aged garlic fermentation causes the compound to break down into absorbable chemicals, states the UMMC.
Garlic's Side Effects
The Food and Drug Administration lists garlic as "generally recognized as safe" and considers it to have very low toxicity, reports the UMMC. Garlic has been known, however, to have interactions with medications including blood-thinners, anti-platelet medications and drugs used to treat HIV. Side effects of garlic supplements include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches and dizziness described as vertigo.
Garlic and Low Blood Pressure
Blood thinning action is enhanced by garlic's dilation of peripheral blood vessels, states the McKinley Health Center. Medline Plus states vertigo is, in some cases, potentially caused by low blood pressure. Check with your health-care provider for information about low blood pressure and dizziness as it relates to garlic use.
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