Fans of traditional medicine have heard a lot about the beneficial properties of garlic. The root vegetable is used to treat and prevent colds, increases the body's defenses, fights parasites and helps normalize blood pressure. The prevalence of diseases such as intracranial hypertension and arterial hypertension, every year more and more people are diagnosed with such diagnoses.
In this regard, many patients are interested in herbal medicine methods and ask whether garlic increases or decreases blood pressure. How to use this useful product to stabilize blood pressure levels, what recipes and contraindications exist. These questions will be answered today.
The benefits of garlic for hypertension
Many people know about the medicinal properties of garlic, but do not even realize that it is not only a spicy seasoning that can be used in the preparation of main courses and sauces. The effect of garlic on blood pressure was noted in ancient times by the famous physician Avicenna - he used it to treat not only hypertension, but also inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Eating large amounts of root vegetables is not always beneficial. To prevent possible complications and side effects, you must first learn about the beneficial properties of garlic. The use of the product in folk remedies recipes is due to its wide influence on the human body:
- improvement of digestive function;
- diuretic effect;
- elimination of bloating and colic in the intestines;
- eliminating spasms, relaxing smooth muscles;
- stimulation of sweat glands;
- disinfectant and antiseptic properties;
- vasodilation;
- use for high blood pressure (hypotensive effect);
- cleansing the body of parasites.
Eating garlic is good for people with diabetes, skin pathologies, anemia, atherosclerosis, dysentery.
The product increases the body's defenses and stimulates it to independently fight infectious agents. Despite the fact that the smell of garlic is very pungent, its use in cooking and traditional medicine recipes brings excellent results.
Beneficial features
This plant contains more than 400 useful vitamin and mineral components that help fight viruses and various types of bacteria, and also strengthen the immune system.
By interacting with red blood cells, garlic releases a microscopic amount of hydrogen sulfide, which expands the lumen of blood vessels, making them elastic. As a result, blood flow improves and blood pressure decreases.
Eating it daily can help lower cholesterol levels. Therefore, garlic is deservedly considered an effective remedy for high blood pressure. To normalize high blood pressure, it is enough to add 500-900 milligrams of fresh product to the diet.
Chemical composition
Vitamins - B1, B6, B2, B5, B9, B12, C, E, PP, K, A and D;
- macroelements - potassium, calcium, silicon, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine;
- trace elements - aluminum, boron, vanadium, germanium, iron, iodine, cobalt, lithium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, rubidium, selenium, fluorine, chromium, zinc;
- proteins and amino acids;
- fats and fatty acids;
- carbohydrates;
- sterols;
- purine bases.
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How does the product affect blood pressure?
Many hypotensive people are interested in whether they can eat healthy root vegetables, how garlic affects blood pressure, whether it raises it or not. Naturopathic doctors answer that the product has rather hypotensive properties, that is, for patients with low blood pressure, consuming large amounts of garlic will not give the desired effect and this will not affect the increase in blood pressure. The hypotensive effect of garlic is explained by the presence of allicin essential oil in the root vegetable - thanks to the substance, hydrogen sulfide and nitric oxide are produced.
These compounds play a leading role in relieving spasms from blood vessels and expanding the lumen of the arteries.
As a result of capillary expansion and tissue relaxation, it is possible to lower blood pressure by 8–10 mmHg. To achieve a hypotensive effect, it is not necessary to eat garlic in large quantities; it is enough to consume a clove in the morning and evening every day - such a dose of the product, consumed for two months in a row, is enough to eliminate the signs of hypertension.
We must immediately make a reservation - despite the fact that garlic reduces blood pressure, the effect of using folk remedies with the inclusion of spice in the composition does not always guarantee a cure for hypertension. Thus, the root vegetable will be practically powerless against a persistent increase in blood pressure levels, which is observed in a person for many years or throughout his life. A prerequisite is complex therapy of the disease, which includes the following points:
- following a diet with limited amounts of fatty, spicy and smoked foods;
- reducing the daily amount of salt consumed;
- taking medications for high blood pressure prescribed by your doctor;
- physiotherapeutic procedures.
Treatment of hypertension with garlic will be more successful if the patient follows the doctor’s instructions, takes antihypertensive medications and at the same time uses the root vegetable as an additional method of traditional therapy. It is not necessary to eat the root vegetable raw, if someone is not satisfied with its taste and smell, you can add spice to stewed and boiled dishes.
During heat treatment, garlic releases adenosine and achoene, substances that prevent the formation of blood clots in blood vessels and have an anticoagulant effect. Garlic for high blood pressure should be consumed simultaneously with an increased amount of apples, lemons, beets, milk, pumpkin, and grapefruit. All these products help saturate the body with vitamins, increase immunity, make capillaries more elastic and prevent their fragility.
Rules of use for the treatment of hypertension
You shouldn’t eat kilograms of garlic. Just one slice a day is enough, but with constant use, to reduce blood pressure by 10%. The decrease will occur slowly and steadily, without jumps, which is also important for blood vessels.
A substance that lowers blood pressure, allicin, is released only when the integrity of the garlic shell is destroyed. It is formed by the interaction of allicin and the enzyme allicinase. When these two components interact, allicin is produced.
Does heat-treated garlic reduce blood pressure? Most products lose their healing properties when heat treated. This does not happen with garlic. Therefore, you can take the root vegetable raw, boiled and fried.
However, garlic must be crushed to produce allicin . After all, the substance is formed in a vegetable only after cell rupture and a reaction between two elements.
Experts recommend eating fried or baked garlic. This is done in a frying pan or in the oven. After heat treatment, the vegetable will not irritate the delicate mucous membranes of the esophagus and intestines, and all healing substances will be easily absorbed by the body.
Also, the bad breath after eating cooked garlic will be less intense than after eating fresh garlic. The vegetable can be added as a spice to everyday dishes .
Does fried and baked garlic help with cardiovascular diseases, how does it affect blood pressure? When baked and fried, it helps normalize blood pressure, as well as:
- promotes weight loss;
- reduce cholesterol levels;
- relieves fatigue;
- will get rid of parasites;
- will help in the fight against diabetes;
- will prevent the occurrence of stomach diseases.
You should eat 2-3 cloves at a time every 3 days . During this period, the body will be cleansed, so you need to drink a lot of liquid.
Raw garlic should be consumed with caution. Long-term use will lead to the destruction of microflora in the stomach and intestines. As a result, dysbacteriosis, gastritis and ulcers may occur.
To obtain a daily dose that has a positive effect on lowering blood pressure, you should eat 2 small slices per day.
For people with complications such as heaviness in the chest, angina pectoris and shortness of breath, this recipe for medicine with garlic will help:
Peel 5 fairly large heads of garlic.- Squeeze the juice of 10 lemons into a liter of natural honey.
- Grate all the cooked garlic into the prepared mixture.
- Mix thoroughly and make the mass homogeneous.
- Place in a convenient airtight container and leave in a cool place for 7 days.
- Eat the prepared mixture once a day, 5 g four times, taking a break of 60 seconds between doses.
We treat hypertension with a folk remedy with garlic and honey:
Scientific research results
Adherents of alternative medicine claim that eating root vegetables reduces the risk of thrombosis, heart attack, and stroke; the same results are confirmed by reviews of people who used garlic to treat diseases of the cardiovascular system and to normalize blood pressure. However, this fact has not been scientifically confirmed.
Not long ago, scientists became interested in whether garlic really helps reduce blood pressure, improves circulatory function, and has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels.
To find out whether many lovers of traditional treatment are justified in using garlic for hypertension, a cross-sectional study was conducted, which involved more than three hundred patients with severe signs of jumps in blood pressure levels. A large group of volunteers was divided into two parts. The first 150 people received 800 mg of garlic powder daily, which is 2.5 g in terms of fresh product. The second 150 people took a placebo without knowing it.
As a result, after a month the results were summed up:
- in patients taking garlic powder, systolic pressure levels decreased by 8–10 mmHg after a month;
- patients who took a placebo and convinced themselves that at the end of the experiment their blood pressure would drop actually showed results - their blood pressure dropped by 2-3 mmHg.
As it became clear, garlic affects blood pressure not only in its fresh form - for the complex treatment of hypertension, you can consume the root vegetable in boiled or stewed form, but also in the form of dry powder and garlic oil. The product is harmless to the body; in the initial form of hypertension, patients can get rid of it only with the help of garlic, and the medium and severe stages of the pathology require an integrated approach - traditional medicine alone will not be enough.
Does the product have an effect on the cardiovascular system?
Garlic has a significant effect on blood pressure. The substance allicin, found in large quantities in garlic, dilates blood vessels and thereby lowers blood pressure. Garlic oil contains valuable substances - hydrogen sulfide, which protect the heart from damage, making it strong and resilient.
Also, eating vegetables helps thin the blood . The vegetable also has a positive effect on the heartbeat: under these conditions it is within normal limits, and the likelihood of bradycardia or arrhythmia is minimized.
Recipes for lowering blood pressure
The consequences of hypertension, which is not treated in a timely manner, can be sad - such patients have an increased risk of developing heart attacks and strokes, blockage of blood vessels with atherosclerotic plaques, and increased cholesterol levels in the blood. To avoid complications and eliminate signs of hypertension, along with taking medications, it is recommended to consume fresh garlic and in traditional medicine recipes.
Garlic and beet salad
Few people realize that such a simple dish, often present on the dinner table, has a positive effect on the condition of the heart and blood vessels and helps lower blood pressure. Preparing the salad is simple - you need to boil a large beetroot until tender, grate it, season with a little salt, add chopped garlic. If desired, add sour cream or vegetable oil to the salad. Hypertensive patients are advised to prepare the dish at least 2-3 times a week.
Garlic broth
Preparing garlic broth is the easiest way to normalize blood pressure and ease the well-being of hypertensive patients. You need to take 20 g of peeled root cloves and pour 250 ml of boiling water. It is better to place the composition in a glass jar, which is then covered with a lid; the raw material should be infused for at least 6 hours in a row, after which the decoction can be taken orally, a tablespoon in the morning and evening.
Tincture
A medicinal tincture to combat blood pressure and hypertension is very easy to prepare at home. To do this, you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- 3 heads of medium-sized root vegetables;
- 3 medium-sized lemon fruits;
- liter of boiled water.
The lemons are ground together with the zest, the garlic should be peeled before chopping, and the ingredients are mixed. Then the composition is poured with the prepared liter of water and left in a dark place for 24 hours. After infusion, the composition must be filtered and poured into a clean container, take 2 tablespoons twice a day before meals, the course of treatment is 20–30 days.
Garlic with milk
The recipe for garlic with milk for blood pressure has been known for a long time - both components have a positive effect on the human body (strengthens blood vessels, prevents the formation of plaques on the walls of capillaries, tone, increases vitality).
Milk and garlic are also effectively used for blood pressure if the desired composition is prepared correctly. To do this, take a head of root vegetable, pour a glass of cow's milk and cook until the garlic is noticeably softened. Then the medicine is filtered. Garlic, softened and boiled in milk, is not used; it has already given all its beneficial properties to the drink.
But the strained composition must be taken before each meal, a tablespoon. The course of treatment with garlic milk is 2–3 weeks. The medicine may have a strange taste, but patients who have tried it to treat hypertension say that the remedy is very effective.
Garlic with lemon
This composition will not only normalize blood pressure, but also has a rather pleasant taste and smell. Take two medium-sized lemon fruits, a head of garlic and 200 g of natural liquid honey. First, all the juice is squeezed out of the lemon fruits, the squeezed pulp is not useful in the recipe, it can be thrown away, then chopped garlic is added to the juice (you can grate it, put it through a meat grinder or blender).
Then prepared honey is added to the resulting mixture and everything is thoroughly mixed, after which the container with the mass is hermetically sealed and sent to a cold place for a week. After 7 days, the composition is taken orally in a teaspoon at least 4 times a day.
Alcohol tincture
An alcoholic tincture of garlic allows you to gently reduce blood pressure; there is no need to fear the opposite effect. So, 40 g of fresh root vegetables are cleaned, then filled with pure 96% medical alcohol. In a hermetically sealed container, the composition should stand for at least a week, preferably in a cool, dark place. Periodically shake the container with the mixture to ensure uniform mixing.
The finished composition is filtered through cheesecloth and sung in a monthly course of 10-30 drops per dose, diluted in a third of a glass of boiled water.
An increase in blood pressure after consuming these compounds is not observed; on the contrary, its indicators gently decrease, especially while following a diet and taking antihypertensive drugs prescribed by a doctor. People with the initial form of hypertension after a course of treatment with garlic compounds note normalization of their condition, relief from headaches and a general improvement in well-being.
Dosage and cooking method
To relieve the symptoms of hypertension and relax the vascular walls, garlic can be taken in any form - pickled, boiled, fried or raw. The method of preparation does not affect the degree of usefulness of the product. However, it is recommended to chop the vegetable before eating, or chew it very thoroughly.
The substance allicin, which acts on blood vessels, is released and acts only when the garlic cell membrane ruptures. The more the vegetable is crushed, the more allicin is formed and absorbed by the body. The root vegetable should be eaten 1 slice 2 times a day - this amount is enough for the vegetable to have a beneficial effect on blood vessels and blood pressure.
Contraindications
Despite the undeniable benefits of the aromatic spice, not all hypertensive patients can use garlic. Like any product used for medicinal purposes, the root vegetable has its own contraindications.
So, you should not experiment with garlic formulations for patients with the following problems:
- peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
- heart disease occurring against the background of increased heart rate;
- advanced gastritis with high acidity;
- pathologies of the renal system.
People with low blood pressure should also use garlic with caution, although the root vegetable does not pose any particular danger. Since it lowers blood pressure by only 10 mmHg, the condition of a hypotensive patient will not worsen sharply; weakness, drowsiness and dizziness may only appear.
How to treat hypertension with folk remedies?
Herbs used for high blood pressure include hawthorn, cayenne pepper, garlic, Buchu leaves and Banks pine. Other natural remedies are corn silk . bearberry leaves . juniper fruits, horsetail and tenacious bedstraw. Technically, any constituents of the plant kingdom are considered herbs, regardless of whether they have medicinal properties or not. Seeds, leaves, roots, berries and bulbs - even if they are widely used as food, like garlic and cayenne pepper - are still herbs. Thus, the category of medicinal herbs useful for high blood pressure can include any herbal product that has the ability to lower or regulate blood pressure.
The most effective and reliable herbal remedies for high blood pressure are generally considered to be hawthorn and cayenne pepper . which is also known as Spanish pepper. Garlic follows closely behind . Not only does cayenne pepper help regulate blood pressure and cleanse the entire circulatory system when used alone, but it is also effective in lowering blood pressure when used along with garlic. These two plants can be combined in cooking, but garlic is always more effective when consumed raw. You can mince garlic and add it to various dishes, such as vegetable-based salads or pickled bean salads.
A unique property of hawthorn is its ability to regulate both high and low blood pressure.
Some herbalists understandably call this medicinal plant the “king” of herbal remedies for high blood pressure and other circulatory diseases. Hawthorn helps strengthen the heart, fights atherosclerosis and can help relieve angina pectoris (as chest pain is called in medical parlance). Another benefit of including hawthorn in your natural healing regimen is its safety. Whole or crushed hawthorn fruits are used to prepare an almost tasteless decoction that has a reddish color and a very watery consistency.
Medicinal herbs have a diuretic effect to some extent.
The body has a variety of ways to keep blood pressure levels within normal limits, and one of them is to increase the kidneys' urine production—less fluid in the circulatory system lowers blood pressure. This is why diuretics may be used for high blood pressure. People taking any medications that affect the kidneys are strongly advised to consult a specialist before starting any herbal or other products to lower blood pressure.
Photo: bodyandsoul.com.au
Additional recommendations
Doctors say that not only pure garlic and tinctures on it help hypertensive patients normalize their well-being. Considerable benefits will come from consuming juices and dishes with the addition of a small amount of chopped root vegetables. The juices of carrots, beets and cucumbers are considered the most beneficial - they, like spices, help lower blood pressure, prevent heart and vascular diseases, and tidy up the walls of capillaries.
Juices and vegetable salads should be flavored with fresh herbs, such as parsley or spinach.
A person prone to surges in blood pressure can drink at least a liter of medicinal vegetable-garlic mixtures per day. A good effect for lowering blood pressure levels is provided by adding kiwi fruit to juices - if you add fruit pulp, a spoonful of squeezed garlic juice and chopped parsley to beet syrup, this composition will saturate the body with vitamins, strengthen the immune system and lower blood pressure. You can drink it 1/3–1/2 glass before meals twice a day.
As it became clear, garlic is not only an aromatic spice that gives dishes a piquant taste and smell, but also an effective medicine for gently lowering blood pressure. However, like any other product from the collection of folk recipes, garlic requires proper preparation and proportions. Before starting therapy, you should consult with your doctor about possible contraindications and allergic reactions to the ingredients of garlic formulations - this will avoid complications and increase the effectiveness of treatment.
Can it cause harm?
Based on the above useful chemical components that make up the plant, it becomes interesting: does such a popular product have contraindications for use? Unfortunately, there are diseases for which the use of garlic is contraindicated:
- chronic hyperacid gastritis;
- stomach or intestinal ulcer;
- cardiac ischemia;
- acute pathology of the kidneys and other parts of the genitourinary system;
- infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
The use of the product for these diseases provokes an exacerbation, which leads to a deterioration in overall health and an increased risk of complications.
For hypotension
People with hypotension should limit their consumption of garlic, as it can dramatically reduce already low blood pressure. However, you should not completely abandon a product containing such a large number of substances important for human life. It is better to discuss this issue with your doctor, who will give the necessary recommendations.
