FACTS
Garlic has been used for thousands of years. The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed garlic as an antibiotic for pneumonia and skin infections. Physicians in India and China used the herb for cleaning wounds and treating headache, fever, dysentery, and cholera.
Four meta-analysis of clinical trials of garlic on humans show that it has cholesterol lowering effects of between 8-15%.
Studies have also shown that garlic has anti-clotting properties for heart protection – by its fibrinolytic activity (clot breaking) and inhibition of platelet aggregation (clot forming).
The evidence of garlic use in lowering blood pressure is less convincing. There is some evidence of clinical use with garlic powder, but insufficient to recommend routinely for people with hypertension.
CLAIMED BENEFITS
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers LDL-cholesterol
- Helps reduce atherosclerotic buildup
- Anti-thrombotic
- Potent natural antibiotic
- Helps prevent cancer
- Anti-oxidant properties
- A source of selenium
RIGHT AMOUNT
2-4 cloves of fresh garlic, or capsule 1-3 gram daily as supplement
