Just 12 weeks' treatment with garlic tablets led to a 'significant' cut in blood pressure, slashing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers claim people with hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, could control their condition better by adding garlic to conventional medication.
Garlic breath: You don't have to eat a whole clove, but introducing garlic capsules into your diet could lead to a 'significant' cut in blood pressure, according to researchers in Australia
The latest research used supplements rather than the raw herb to ensure people got a guaranteed dose of active ingredients.
Dr Karin Ried from the University of Adelaide, Australia, led a new trial of 50 people with high blood pressure who were taking prescription drugs for it.
She said 'There is a large proportion of people out there who are on medication and some people are on four different types but they still have high blood pressure - it is uncontrolled.
'When we gave them this garlic supplement we were able on average to reduce their blood pressure under the hypertension threshold - so garlic might be a good complementary treatment option to control hypertension.'
In the trial, researchers from the unversity's general practice department gave capsules containing 960mg of aged garlic extract to patients with high blood pressure.
Those who took the supplements every day had much lower readings after 12 weeks.
A high blood pressure reading is one that exceeds 140/90 millimetres of mercury. The first figure, the systolic pressure, corresponding to the 'surge' that occurs with each heart beat.
Patients in the trial who had a systolic reading above 140mmHg saw it drop 10.2 lower on average than a control group on a placebo or dummy pill.
This reduced the blood pressure of some patients down to healthy levels.
Dr Ried said 'This reduction is clinically significant, as a drop in systolic blood pressure by 5mmHg reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by eight to twenty per cent.'
The findings are published in the medical journal Maturitas.
An estimated 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure, including the third who do not know they have it.
It is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.
Every day there are 350 preventable strokes or heart attacks in the UK due to high blood pressure.
Garlic is thought to have an antihypertensive effect because it stimulates production of certain chemical substances called nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which helps relax blood vessels.
Pills containing extract of aged garlic were used in the trials because they were produced in controlled conditions for consistent strength.
The researchers did not believe raw or cooked garlic would be as effective - when garlic is heated much of the active ingredient called allicin is destroyed.
Last month Dr Ried and colleagues attracted worldwide attention for showing that dark chocolate was also effective in reducing high blood pressure.
'It doesn't work as well as garlic but it is more loved and the drawback is it is not really practical for long-term use' added Dr Ried.
Garlic tablets are licensed as a drug in Germany and widely prescribed to combat atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
It has long been a mainstay for herbalists and was reputed to fend off the plague during the Middle Ages.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1304121/Garlic-tablets-Can-lead-lowering-blood-pressure.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0x1uAEnHO
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