Monday, October 15, 2007

garlic and high blood pressure

For more than 5,000 years, garlic has been widely used in Babylonian, Egyptian and Chinese traditional medicine. Recent studies conducted in the United States, Germany and India proves that garlic can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Garlic belongs to the family of onions that is known to have an impeccable effect on the whole cardiovascular system. Studies have shown the therapeutic working of garlic over high blood pressure. It has been shown that garlic works in the direction of maintaining normal blood pressure by reducing the spasms occurring in the veins that carry blood. The various elements present in garlic also work positively by bringing down the pulse rate of the heart to moderate levels. Researchers explain the garlic ingredient allicin likely prevents pulmonary hypertension by causing the constricted blood vessels to relax, and by preventing damage to the blood vessels other useful compounds of garlic are Allyls and Alliinase, helps vitamin B1 be more effective in the body and allin, promotes the digestion of protein. In a meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials of garlic supplements, three trials showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and four in diastolic blood pressure. Researchers concluded that garlic powder supplement may be of clinical use in patients with mild high blood pressure.

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