Garlic As Antihypertensive

 Studies have shown that individuals whose blood pressures are on the lower side are more likely to be high consumers of garlic in their diets; others indicated an inverse correlation between garlic consumption and progression of cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown that increased intake of garlic has bee associated with reduced mortality in cardiovascular patients or reduced incidence of myocardial infraction, stroke and hypertension. Antihypertensive property of garlic extracts is believed among other reasons to be due to the ability to prevent oxidative stress, reduce systolic blood pressure and vascular remodelling, as well as the hypo lipidemic and antioxidant properties.

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Allicin within garlic was shown to be the possible component responsible for the antihypertensive effects of the garlic.

Other organo-sulfur compounds like Allyl methyl sulphide (AMS) and diallyl sulphide (DAS) may also have a role in the hypotensive mechanisms of garlic. One good characteristic of garlic is that administration of garlic extracts decreases systolic and diastolic blood pressure only in hypertensive patients with no such effects in normotensive ones.