Adding garlic to your favorite recipes instantly provides an aroma and flavor unlike any other spice. For years, garlic has become a food known not only for its great taste, but also its medicinal value. Garlic has natural antioxidant and antibiotic properties. This potent bulb has also been studied for its beneficial effects on a common and dangerous condition, high blood pressure.
Effects of Garlic Extract
Garlic extract, Allium sativum L., has been isolated and tested for its influence on blood pressure in rats. "Clinical and Experimental Hypertension" published a study in 2011, comparing the cardiovascular effects of garlic extract with gingko and onion extracts. The extracts were given to sedated rats intravenously, while heart rate and blood pressure were monitored. Garlic produced the most significant effect on lowering blood pressure compared with the other two supplements. The results suggest that garlic potentially has similar, temporary effects on reducing human blood pressure.
Garlic for Heart Health
Researchers at the Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine in Slovakia published a review in 2010 of garlic's effects on heart disease prevention. The review explains that there is up-to-date scientific support for garlic decreasing several risk factors for heart disease including LDL cholesterol levels, triglycerides, abnormal platelet aggregation and blood pressure. Digestion of garlic generates hydrogen sulfide which helps to relax your arteries. This process lowers the pressure of blood pumping through your body. Other possible protective properties of garlic include anti-inflammatory effects and stimulation of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels, also reducing blood pressure.
Taking a Garlic Supplement
To lower your blood pressure without getting garlic breath, you may be thinking about trying a garlic supplement. It is important to consult your doctor before starting a garlic supplement, especially if you are already on medication to lower your blood pressure. Blood pressure-lowering medication combined with a garlic supplement may cause your blood pressure to drop too low, which can be dangerous. Because dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there is no dosage amount proven to be safe or effective.
Garlic in the Diet
Perhaps the safest and most delicious way to reap the benefits of this special food is by having more garlic in your diet. Roast garlic in the oven and mash it into dips and spreads. Keep minced garlic in the refrigerator and add it to pizza or sauces before cooking. Add garlic powder to dishes in place of salt. Remember, garlic's influence on lowering your blood pressure is likely temporary, so increase your daily garlic intake from food or supplements to have consistent effects.
References
- U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health; "Comparison of the Hypotensive and Bradycardic Activity of Ginkgo, Garlic, and Onion Extracts"; Brankovic S., et al.; January 2011
- U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health; "Garlic (Allium sativum L.) and Cardiovascular Diseases"; Ginter E., et al.; 2010
