Garlic is traditionally used for its medicinal benefits, including strengthening the immune system to fight the common cold and diseases such as some types of cancer. This root herb also has blood-thinning effects to help reduce plaque buildup in the arteries and may help decrease blood cholesterol. These qualities can help prevent high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Pregnant women are at risk for high blood pressure due to the greater volume of blood needed during pregnancy. Research published in the "European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology" reports that garlic supplementation helped reduce high blood pressure in pregnant women. Consult your doctor before supplementing or eating high doses of garlic.
Step 1
Consult your doctor or obstetrician about your cardiovascular health during pregnancy. Your doctor may recommend adding garlic to your daily diet or taking a supplement of this herb.
Step 2
Purchase fresh garlic. Consume 2 to 4 g of fresh fresh garlic per day as a food supplement. Add garlic to your cooking by chopping or mincing three to six peeled cloves and stirring them into stews, soups, casseroles and sauces. Unpeeled garlic cloves can also be oven roasted until they are caramelized to be used as a spread on breads.
Step 3
Stir one to two raw chopped garlic cloves into prepared or home-made salad dressing. Add five to six fresh, whole and peeled cloves to a bottle of olive oil to make a mild garlic oil extract. Use the olive oil as needed, and store it in a cool dry place to prevent molding of the garlic. After one to two weeks, replace the garlic cloves in the oil and use in your cooking.
Step 4
Purchase garlic supplements from a health food store. These herbal supplements are made from whole fresh cloves, extracts, dried garlic and garlic oil. Ask a herbalist or nutritionist about the best type during pregnancy. The supplements should be standardized to contain 1.3 percent alliin or 0.6 percent allicin, which are the active ingredients in garlic. Consume 600 to 1,200 mg of garlic supplements per day in divided doses. These supplements can be taken with or without food.
Step 5
Alternatively, consume 4 ml of garlic fluid extract per day. Garlic oil is also available and should be taken three times per day at doses of 0.03 to 0.12 ml each. Consult your doctor about the best form of garlic supplementation for you.
Tips and Warnings
- One clove of garlic equates to approximately 1 g. Up to four cloves can be consumed each day as a food supplement. If you do not like the taste or smell of garlic, roasting the cloves alters the taste and smell, making it aromatic and sweet. To remove the smell of fresh garlic from your hands and utensils, rub with a small amount of fresh or bottled lemon juice.
- Garlic has blood-thinning properties and should not be taken in high doses without the supervision of your doctor. Pregnant women should avoid taking this herb up to two months before their due date because it can cause excessive bleeding. Supplementing garlic as a food is a safer choice during pregnancy. Garlic can also interact with other prescription and herbal medicines and should not be consumed in high doses without notifying your doctor.
Things You'll Need
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Garlic supplements
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Garlic
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Garlic
- The Garlic Information Centre: Garlic and Pregnancy Cut the Complications of Pregnancy Naturally With Garlic
- "European Journal of Obstretics and Gynecology"; The Effect of Garlic Tablet on Plasma Lipids and Platelet Aggregation in Nulliparous Pregnants at High Risk of Pre-eclampsia; Lamiyan M. et al; December 2001
