A bulb used in cooking and folk tradition for thousands of years.
Why it’s used: Traditionally used to support heart health and normal circulation.
Garlic, Allium sativum, is a bulb in the onion family that has been grown and eaten for at least five thousand years. It is thought to come from Central Asia and is now a staple of kitchens around the world. Each bulb is made of cloves wrapped in papery skin.
Garlic has a place in almost every folk tradition, and it is traditionally used to support heart health and normal circulation. When a clove is crushed or chopped, an enzyme turns a compound called alliin into allicin, which gives fresh garlic its sharp smell. Researchers have studied garlic preparations in many trials, including on blood pressure and cholesterol, with mixed results, and it has no authorised health claim.
Supplements come in several forms, and they are not interchangeable. On labels you will see garlic powder, garlic oil, odourless garlic, or aged garlic extract, which is made by steeping garlic for months and is rich in a different compound, S-allyl cysteine. Some products are standardised to allicin potential.
3 findings behind this ingredient. Hover a card for the detail and the source.
Meta-analysis of 108 randomised trials with 7,137 adults. Garlic lowered total cholesterol (-10.2 mg/dL), LDL (-5.9 mg/dL), systolic (-3.7 mmHg) and diastolic (-2.0 mmHg) blood pressure, and raised HDL.
Updated meta-analysis of 20 randomised trials (970 people). Garlic lowered systolic blood pressure by 5.1 mmHg versus placebo, and by 8.7 mmHg in people with hypertension.
Meta-analysis of 21 randomised trials in people with dyslipidaemia. Garlic reduced total cholesterol by 0.64 mmol/L, LDL by 0.44 mmol/L and triglycerides by 0.17 mmol/L.
Can't see yours? Ask our team, answered within a working day.
Aged garlic extract is made by soaking sliced garlic for many months, which changes its chemistry. It contains less allicin and more S-allyl cysteine, and it has a much milder smell. It is one of the forms most often used in research.
Speak to your GP or pharmacist first. Garlic supplements may add to bleeding risk when combined with warfarin, aspirin or other blood thinners. Cooking amounts are not usually a concern, but concentrated supplements are.
Not necessarily. Odourless products are processed to reduce sulphur compounds, which can change what they contain. Different garlic forms have different chemistry, so research on one form cannot be assumed to apply to another. Check what form a product uses.
Information only, not medical advice. If you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your GP or pharmacist first.
Six quick questions match you to the products in our range that fit your goal, with the reasons why.
