Garlic is well-known for its ability to help lower blood pressure—and the great thing is, it does so without unwanted side effects.
It supports the body’s natural antioxidant production, which helps keep the arteries flexible and improves blood pressure regulation. Garlic also helps balance cholesterol levels and reduces blood “stickiness,” which is important for heart health.
One of the best things about using food as medicine is that it doesn’t just address a single health issue—it often supports many aspects of well-being.
Garlic not only improves cardiovascular health, but it also strengthens the immune system and protects the body from viral and bacterial infection.
On top of that, its prebiotic properties support gut health by increasing microbial diversity and promoting better digestive health.
Garlic is one of 10 herbs that the Department of Health (DOH), through the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), has been promoting. This enables every Juan and Juana to have better access to affordable health solutions.
References:
- Cabanayan-Carbonell, C.R. (2024) DOH promotes traditional medicine as cheap, viable healthcare alternative. Philippine Information Agency.
- Ried K. (2020). Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive subjects, improves arterial stiffness and gut microbiota: A review and meta-analysis. Experimental and therapeutic medicine, 19(2), 1472–1478.
- Verma, T., Aggarwal, A., Dey, P., Chauhan, A. K., Rashid, S., Chen, K. T., & Sharma, R. (2023). Medicinal and therapeutic properties of garlic, garlic essential oil, and garlic-based snack food: An updated review. Frontiers in nutrition, 10, 1120377.
- Xiong, X. J., Wang, P. Q., Li, S. J., Li, X. K., Zhang, Y. Q., & Wang, J. (2015). Garlic for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 22(3), 352–361.
