Do you suffer from high blood pressure and its many symptoms? Are you on the lookout for a natural remedy that can complement your medication and regulate your blood pressure levels? If yes, then it is time to ingest a few cloves of garlic! Do not turn up your nose! Garlic can indeed help regulate blood pressure.

Would you like to know more? Keep reading!

Garlic – An Overview:

Nowadays, garlic’s reputation as a medicinal herb is significantly growing. This is because it has been confirmed by many researchers to be highly effective in preventing and treating a wide range of health conditions (1). In fact, for decades, garlic has been recommended by natural medicine practitioners all over the world to be included in the daily diet because of its many powerful effects on health. As you may already know, it can fight different types of cancer and lower cholesterol levels naturally (2). The latest buzz is that garlic can help in regulating and normalizing high blood pressure.

According to many experts, garlic should not be cooked if you want to harness its potent beneficial properties. The juice in fresh garlic is what contains the most nutrients, and this is why you have probably read that eating a clove of raw garlic is the best. To deal with nervous spasms, cramps and seizures, experts recommend drinking a glass of warm water mixed with a crushed clove of garlic. If you suffer from high blood pressure, eat a clove of raw garlic every morning on an empty stomach. Making this a part of your daily regimen will provide you with many health benefits.

Causes Of Hypertension:

There are two types of high blood pressure. One is primary or essential hypertension, which is not caused by any underlying health condition. The other is secondary hypertension, which is usually due to another illness or disease (3).

1. Primary Hypertension:

This type of hypertension is mainly caused due to:

Tension And Stress: There is a lot more pressure and stress on people in today’s fast-paced world. This contributes significantly to high blood pressure. Stress and problems associated with it are more common among high achievers, also known as “type A personalities” (4).

Obesity: This condition contributes the most to an increase in blood pressure (5). The reason is that the heart is required to work harder to keep up with the increase in body mass. When the body mass increases, more blood for oxygen and nutrient supply to various tissues in the body is required.

Sedentary Lifestyle And Poor Diet: When the body does not get enough exercise, the heart rate increases and the heart has to work more than usual. Saturated fatty acids and excessive salt intake can elevate blood pressure levels. Apart from this, a low-potassium diet also plays a role as it increases sodium levels in the cells.

Cigarettes And Alcohol: It is no secret that smoking can result in serious health conditions such as cancer. Tobacco and nicotine in cigarettes increase blood pressure. Excessive consumption of alcohol also increases the risk of hypertension (6).

Age and hereditary factors also play a role in the risk and cause of high blood pressure. The elderly are at a higher risk of hypertension because the flexibility of blood vessels is reduced. In most cases, hypertension is familial in nature, which is why it can run in families.

2. Secondary Hypertension:

As mentioned earlier, secondary hypertension is high blood pressure that is caused due to an underlying disease or condition including:

• Adrenal gland disease
• Kidney disease
• Thyroid disease
• Hormonal disorders
• Use of certain drugs like birth control pills

Garlic can be used to lower the risk of both types of hypertension. However, it is important to remember that it should not be used as a substitute for conventional medications that have been prescribed to treat high blood pressure. According to researchers, people with hypertension can control and improve their condition more effectively if they use garlic as well as conventional medication.

How Does Garlic Work On High Blood Pressure?

Garlic contains an active substance called allicin, and it is this substance that is believed to have the ability to lower the risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. According to researchers, allicin can relax blood vessels and reduce the damage and pressure that affect the blood at the same time (7). It can also lower the levels of cholesterol and platelet aggregation by breaking down fibrinolytic activity that takes place in the blood. Allicin is present in raw garlic, but a large percentage is destroyed when it is cooked.

The second reason garlic can effectively prevent high blood pressure is due to its ability to stimulate the production of nitric oxide synthase and hydrogen sulphide (8). Experts say that these substances help to relax blood vessels. Garlic also has natural antispasmodic properties that give it the ability to ease spasms that may occur in small arteries and prevent blood clot development.

Garlic In Tablet Form For Hypertension:

According to recent studies, it has been found that garlic has the potential to reduce high blood pressure by 10 percent when it is taken in the form of tablets. When a review of research evidence was conducted, it showed that there was a significant lowering of blood pressure with garlic tablet treatment over a 12-week period. When blood pressure is lowered, it reduces the risk of a stroke or heart attack.

A review of 21 studies conducted on human subjects found that supplements made of dried garlic containing allicin as an active ingredient consistently resulted in blood pressure reductions. This review looked at garlic supplements that had a guaranteed allicin yield of 1.8 milligrams with each dose. As mentioned earlier, garlic or garlic supplements should be used in addition to conventional high blood pressure medications as recommended by the experts (9).

Benefits Of Garlic:

Garlic contains properties that make it one of the most powerful natural remedies in the world. It has antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, antiparasitic and antispasmodic properties (10) – all of which make it a great remedy for a multitude of illnesses and disorders including allergies, rheumatism, heart problems like arteriosclerosis, herpes and cholesterol problems. Since it is an anticarcinogenic food (11), it can be used to treat typhoid and respiratory ailments such as influenza, pneumonia, laryngitis, etc.

As you have learned, garlic is a beneficial food that you should consume every morning as part of your daily routine. Apart from protecting you against different diseases and illnesses, it helps in reducing blood pressure and lowering the risk of hypertension and increases your body’s productivity and strength, thereby improving your general overall health.

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by Maanasi Radhakrishnan via STYLECRAZE