High Blood Pressure? Garlic May Help

You can keep your blood pressure in control by popping down garlic cloves daily, suggests a new Australian study.

Garlic supplements were able to reduce the high blood pressure just as effectively as common anti-blood pressure drugs.

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in the arteries (blood vessels). An individual is said to have high blood pressure or hypertension when he has the blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or above each time it is taken. High Blood pressure is also known as a "silent killer" as many people may have no noticeable symptoms.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Karin Ried and team from the University of Adelaide in South Australia said, "Supplementation with garlic preparations may provide an acceptable alternative or complementary treatment option for hypertension.”

Dr. Ried and colleagues analyzed the recent 11 international studies in which patients suffering from hypertension were given garlic supplements (in powder form) or placebo daily for 12 to 23 weeks.

The team revealed that the 600mg - 900mg dosage used in the studies was equal to 3.6mg - 5.4mg of garlic's principle active ingredient, allicin. A fresh clove of garlic contains 5 mg to 9 mg of allicin.

The study, published in the latest edition of the journal 'BMC Cardiovascular Disorders' found that the subjects who took garlic supplements daily had a significant drop in the blood pressure levels. The higher a person's blood pressure was at the beginning of the study, the more it was lowered by taking garlic.

The garlic supplements made a significant drop in the systolic blood pressuredefine by 4.6 mm Hg, on average while an analysis done on individuals with Hypertension revealed that garlic lowered systolic blood pressure by 8.4 mm Hg, on average and diastolic blood pressure by 7.3 mm Hg.

The authors said that the effects were nearly similar to those of common blood pressure drugs such as beta blockers, which lowers systolic blood pressure by 5mm Hg and ACE inhibitors which produce an 8mm Hg average drop in systolic blood pressure.

However, researchers says that still more research is needed to determine if garlic can have a long term effect on cardiovascular disease.

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used for medicinal purpose for centuries to treat numerous diseases and ailments in India, Egypt and China. Allicin - garlic's active ingredient - does not occur in ordinary garlic and is produced only when it is crushed or very finely chopped.

It is called “nature's antibiotic” due to its apparent effects against various pathogens, garlic is used as a treatment for sore throats, colds and flu and infections and to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Various studies conducted in China suggests that garlic may neutralise cancerdefine-causing chemicals and can reduce the risk of tumours. However few side effects of garlic are mouth irritation or burning, gas, nausea, topical application can burn skin, garlic may lower blood sugar levels and affect the effectiveness of several drugs, including some HIVdefine medication and cancer drugs, etc.

Approximately 70 million people in United States and nearly half of people above 65 years and 1 in three middle-aged people in UK have high blood pressure, which leads to increased risk of heart failure or heart related diseases. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease claims life of an individual in every 37 seconds and is the leading cause of death in the US.

Another 70 million American people have the condition of “high-normal” or “pre-hypertensive” blood pressure levels (120/80 mm Hg to 130/85 mm Hg) and 90% of these people will develop hypertension by age 65.