For decades, there has been speculation that garlic is not only good for blood pressure control but also can improve the overall quality of life. However, most of the reports on garlic are anecdotes and the few clinical trials conducted have never consistently shown this herb to be of any great medical benefit. Now there is an Australian study which suggests that “aged garlic” is the key to blood pressure control.
In a 12-week study involving 50 patients, a team of Australian researchers observed that when taking four capsules day of aged garlic a day, the blood pressure dropped by 10 mmHg compared to those who took the sugar pill. Dr Karen Reid said that only “aged garlic” works. Garlic taken in any other way like raw, fresh or powder does not work. If garlic is cooked, then its health benefits disappear.
Garlic has long been felt to be good for the heart, and traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine practitioners have been promoting the benefits of garlic as a preventative of high blood pressure for centuries. "Garlic has been used as a treatment to lower blood pressure in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years," said Sundari Ganesh, a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine.
So what should the consumer do?
First, this study was only done with 50 patients and the study was not randomized or blind. The blood pressure decrease was very mild. It is not even known if the blood pressure lowering is sustained once garlic is discontinued. Moreover, the duration of blood pressure in some of these patients was unknown and some patients were also taking other blood pressure medications at the same time. For the present, pharmaceutical medications are still the gold standard for blood pressure control.
Garlic is not a substitute for any medication. Even though Orientals have been taking garlic for centuries, these individuals continue to have high blood pressure compared to their western colleagues who take drugs. While “aged garlic” may have some benefits in lowering blood pressure, you can rest assured that you will never have any friends (and guaranteed no sex) because your breathe will suck like crap- this is the primary reason why “aged garlic” has never caught on in the past.
