Garlic Supplements for High Blood Pressure
Garlic Supplements for High Blood Pressure
There are many people who cannot tolerate raw garlic. There's the unpleasant taste and burning sensation in your mouth. Some people have sensitive stomachs, which raw garlic just doesn't agree with. This can lead to indigestion, belching, and a variety of other discomforts that turn people off to raw garlic. This is why garlic supplements could be just what the doctor ordered to tame someone suffering from high blood pressure.
Garlic is popular because it does offer many health benefits. There are antioxidant properties, regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and reducing hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
So, as you can see anyone who has high blood pressure should look closely at garlic as a natural remedy. Now, if raw garlic is out of the question, then the next best thing are garlic supplements.
How Garlic Supplements Directly and Indirectly Help High Blood Pressure
You will find a variety of garlic supplements at your local grocery stores as well as any health food store. They will come in capsule, table, and gel form. If you have an ultra sensitive stomach, check to see which brand offers the best buffered product for your condition. You may have to try a couple of different brands to see which suits you best.
Lest expand more on what garlic actually does for you:
- Protects and activates liver cells from toxins.
- Improves blood circulation.
- Regulates stomach function and digestive juices.
- Promotes insulin secretion.
- Normalizes blood circulation and stabilizes blood pressure.
- Dissolves fats and cholesterol in the arterial system.
The fact that one has high blood pressure leads you to believe that garlic will help remedy the symptom, but not the cause. You still must look at lifestyle (stress), diet, exercise, and other unique factors that caused this problem in the first place. Yes, heredity does also play a factor in high blood pressure.
Absorption - Why It's Important
With any thing you put into your body how your body absorbs it is important. Supplement manufactures have their own challenges. There's profitability, shelf life, competition, sourcing ingredients, marketing, and so on. One factor the affects absorption is by products or fillers a manufacturer puts in their product.
Here are a few things that you don't want to see in a supplement:
- Yeast
- Gluten
- Wheat
- Dairy Products
- Corn
- Colour
These fillers offer no added benefits to the product, but your body still has to process them...who needs that.
Now, the following are supplements that will help with absorption:
- Calcium
- CoQ10
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
These are called co-benefactors. They work together with garlic to improve electrolytes, gallbladder, digestion, oxidation, liver function and more.
Adding Garlic to Your Diet
Garlic is used as a flavor enhancer in many foods. The benefits of garlic have been handed down for the last 5000 years, so why is there resistance to using garlic as a natural alternative for managing blood pressure?
With any natural alternative comes the skepticism that both the medical community and patients share alike. Yes, there are situations where immediate help is necessary and medications are the right treatment.
A Diet is Composed of More Than One Thing
Diets are a never ending trial and error puzzle due to the fact that our body changes with age. Heath conditions are another reason we have to change our diet.
Garlic can be a supplement added to a balanced diet, but it also has properties helpful to patients with high blood pressure. The recommended dosages are considered "maintenance dosages" and these are for people without medical conditions. If you are using garlic to manage high blood pressure, then working with your doctor or a professional dietary consultant is advisable to maintain the proper dosage for your situation.
It's always a good practice to include your doctor in any dietary changes you plan to make. This is especially critical if you are on medications for blood pressure.
If you find natural alternatives interesting, the you will love reading about lowering your blood pressure with olive oil - take a look!