Garlic Supplements Review

Most people use garlic as an herb to flavor their food. In recent years, however, more and more people have been using garlic as a type of preventative medicine.

Garlic Supplements – also known as alliin supplements – could improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of cancer. When applied to the skin, it can be used to treat fungal infections.

What’s the secret power behind garlic? And should you start rubbing garlic all over your body to cure common aches and pains? Find out today in our Garlic Supplements review.

What Are Garlic Supplements?

Garlic supplements rely on the power of garlic’s most active ingredient: alliin. Alliin gives garlic its distinctive order.

It’s also thought to be responsible for most of garlic’s health benefits.

Alliin is a unique chemical compound for a few different reasons: for one, it’s extremely unstable.

It will change into another chemical rather quickly when isolated.

Manufacturers often try to avoid this problem by aging their garlic, making it odorless. Unfortunately, as garlic ages, it naturally loses its alliin content. As a result, the odorless garlic supplements often contain very little – if any – alliin, which totally defeats their value.

Good garlic supplements smell like garlic. Manufacturers committed to high alliin content will typically crush a fresh clove to release more alliin as opposed to trying to age it.

Garlic supplements typically come in the form of a capsule. They may have an enteric coating to reduce stomach acid breakdown.

How Do Garlic Supplements Work?

Garlic supplements rely on the power of alliin and allicin. Alliin is an interesting compound for a few reasons:

First: it’s responsible for the strong aroma of fresh garlic.

Second: it was the first natural product found to have both carbon-centered and sulfur-centered stereochemistry.

Alliin is relatively unstable. When you chop or crush garlic, an enzyme called alliinase converts alliin into allicin.

Both alliin and allicin have been repeatedly studied over the years. Researchers now believe they know how the compounds work: after entering the body, allicin turns into a variety of fat and water soluble sulfur-containing compounds.

These compounds tap into the hydrogen sulfide signaling system, which relaxes the blood vessels and leads to a variety of health benefits.

Benefits of Garlic Supplements

Garlic has been reliably connected to major health benefits in various studies over the years. Hundreds of modern scientific studies have reinforced what ancient civilizations have known for many years: garlic leads to powerful health benefits:

Lower Cholesterol

Dozens of studies have shown that garlic can reduce total cholesterol levels, including lowering levels of LDL-C (bad) cholesterol while boosting levels of HDL-C (good) cholesterol. This reduces the overall risk of cardiovascular problems.

Lower Blood Pressure

12 studies have examined the effects of garlic on blood pressure. Of those 12 studies, 9 concluded that garlic could reduce blood pressure by around 8% to 10% in people with hypertension (high blood pressure). This effect was also observed in people with normal, healthy blood pressure, although it was a small percentage drop.

Antioxidant Effects

Garlic acts as a powerful antioxidant, targeting free radicals in your bloodstream. Free radicals are dangerous compounds which travel through the bloodstream, raising your risk of disease and illness. They’re also responsible for the physical and cognitive effects of aging: including wrinkles and cognitive decline.

There are dozens of other studies on garlic which have tested the natural compound for various other benefits, although none of those studies have been very conclusive. Some studies have indicated that garlic can be used for weight loss, improved metabolism, reduced risk of cancer, and a reduced risk of upper respiratory tract infections. Garlic was shown to have mild effects on all of the symptoms listed above, although more research needs to be done before these effects are conclusive.

How to Use Garlic Supplements

Garlic supplements come in different forms and formulations. Typically, they come in the form of a capsule, and you take one or two capsules per day as directed.

Different supplements have different concentrations. Always follow the directions on your supplement and talk to your doctor before taking garlic supplements.

Typically, you can buy garlic supplements at any pharmacy, drug store, or supermarket. You’ll find supplements made from whole fresh garlic, dried garlic, free-dried garlic, garlic oil, and aged garlic.

If you’re taking garlic for health benefits, you should aim to take between 2 to 4 grams per day. An average-sized clove of garlic contains approximately 1 gram.

An average aged garlic extract supplement contains between 600 to 1,200mg of garlic per serving (separated into multiple daily doses). However, remember that aged garlic also contains far less alliin than fresh crushed garlic.

Tablets of freeze-dried garlic typically come in 200 mg servings, taking 2 tablets three times per day. These capsules contain 1.3% alliin or 0.6% allicin.

You can also find certain garlic supplements which have been standardized to contain 10 to 12 mg per gram of alliin and 4000 mcg of total allicin potential, or TAP.

Is Garlic Supplements Right For You?

Garlic is a powerful natural herb that has shown potential as a medical treatment. However, if you’re buying garlic supplements to boost your health, make sure you choose supplements which have high alliin content.

Many manufacturers refuse to list their alliin content. A good rule of thumb is to avoid supplements which have “aged” or “odorless” on their packaging: old garlic loses most of its alliin content, which vastly limits the benefits.

Of course, eating smelly garlic supplements all day isn’t ideal for those who work in an office or talk to other people at work. Consider taking garlic supplements in the morning before brushing your teeth or at night before you go to bed.

In any case, garlic has been used since ancient times to boost cardiovascular health and treat various illnesses and ailments. Thanks to modern formulation technology and garlic supplements, it’s never been easier to enjoy the health benefits of garlic without getting the dreaded garlic breath.