Garlic packs a punch from flavouring food to helping reduce blood pressure and balancing cholesterol

From its unique flavour to its powerful health properties it’s time to be wild about garlic.  Literally, wild garlic is in season right now and I had the pleasure of sampling some of its delights with Healthspan, the online vitamin and supplement company. 

Within the truly decadent space of Skye Gynell’s restaurant Spring, situated in London’s Somerset House, Rob Hobson, Healthspan Head of Nutrition introduced us to the many health benefits of garlic and in particular black aged garlic.  While we dined on exquisite dishes such as grilled prawns with black garlic and wild fennel and seabream white beans and wild garlic, we learnt there are more than 300 different types of garlic.

Garlic is one of the earliest documented plants used by humans for the treatment of diseases and was found in Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek temples.  Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium.  Other members of the same family include onions, shallots, leeks and chives.  They all contain sulphur compounds that give them their pungent smell and taste.

What is black garlic?

Black garlic is having a moment as one of the new on-trend ingredients, not only for flavour but also for the health benefits that have been attributed to this member of the onion family.  Whilst it may be a new addition to the UK supermarket shelves, this ingredients has been around for a very long time and is a staple in East-Asian countries such as China, Japan and Korea.

Rob Hobson said “It’s an exciting time for black garlic in the area of cardiovascular disease.”

Black garlic is produced by allowing fresh garlic bulbs to mature at room temperature so that allicin degrades into other more powerful, sulfur containing substances such as S-allyl-cysteine.  Black garlic appears to have the most consistent blood pressure lowering effects and has at least four times more antioxidant activity per gram.

Why take black garlic?

A study by Professor Matthew Budolf at LA BiodMed showed a positive effect of black garlic supplements at reducing the accumulation of certain types of plaque in the arteries of people with metabolic syndrome.  The study showed that black garlic extract at a dose of 2,400mg daily, slowed the accumulation of total plaque by 80 per cent and demonstrated regression, which suggests an interesting potential use of the supplement for people at particular risk of heart disease.

Black garlic may also help reduce blood pressure.  People with high blood pressure who took black garlic doses of 600-1,500mg, found it as effective as certain blood pressure medication over a 24 week period.

Research also suggests it improves cholesterol balance by increasing the liver production of HDL (good) cholesterol, which protects against hardening of the arteries.  A study by Jung et al showed that a dose of 6g per day of black garlic extract increased HDL cholesterol by an average of 7.45%.

More research is needed but there are some interesting studies showing that black garlic extracts may also help to boost immunity by increasing the activity of circulating white blood cells that are a key part of our immune system.

The power of garlic 

Dr Sarah Brewer, GP and Nutritionist looks at the wonders of garlic which contains a powerful antioxidant called allicin. 

1. Garlic helps lower cholesterol as allicin protects ‘bad’ LDL-cholesterol from oxidation, reducing its uptake by scavenger cells to protect against atherosclerosis.  It also reduces cholesterol production in the liver and hastens excretion of fatty acids into bile.  
2. Taking garlic supplements may also help improve circulation as it helps to dilate small arteries (arterioles) and (venules) to improve blood perfusion in the skin and nail folds by as much as 55 per cent.  
3. A recent large analysis of data published in the Journal of Nutrition concluded that, compared with inactive placebo, garlic extracts reduced systolic blood pressure (the upper reading) by between 7mmHg and 16mmHg, and reduced diastolic blood pressure (the lower reading) by between 5mmHg and 9mmHg.  Dr Sarah Brewer says that, “garlic is therefore at least as effective in reducing blood pressure as many prescribed medications.  While its effects start within five hours, and wear off over 24 hours, there is an accumulative benefit so that blood pressure gradually continues to fall over two to three months of treatment.”
4. The sulphur compounds in garlic may help to relax blood vessels and reduce platelet stickiness to reduce blood clots forming.  Some of the ingredients in garlic (ajoene, methylallyl trisulphide and dimethyl trisulphide) are as powerful as aspirin in reducing platelet clumping.  These effects are seen after eating the equivalent of half a clove of garlic and lasts for around three hours.

From boosting our immunity to helping battle the common cold, garlic taken either as natural ingredient or as a supplement can certainly continue to boast of its superfood status.

Healthspan offer a selection of garlic supplements:

Healthspan Black Garlic 2,000mg* 90 tablets £15.95

Healthspan Garlic Capsules 800mg of fresh garlic* 180 capsules £8.95 or 360 capsules £15.95

Healthspan Garlic Tablets 1,200mg of fresh garlic* 120 tablets £9.45 or 240 tablets £15.95

*Affiliate links