Cardiovascular System Support from Garlic

Cardiovascular System Support from Garlic

Everyone knows that to have a healthier cardiovascular system we need to get more exercise, reduce stress, quit smoking and eat healthier ( more fruits and vegetables, more good fats (salmon, raw nuts and seeds, Omega 3 oils), less hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening, packaged foods and deep fried foods). But what about supplements?
There are many supplements that can be very helpful along with a healthy lifestyle. A few would include: herbs like capsicum, garlic, parsley and hawthorn; supplements like natural vitamin E #1509-8, CoQ 10 #4109-8, Nattozymes #520-7, and lecithin #1660-5, plus blended formulas of these and more.
Today I’d like to focus on the historical uses of the humble garlic for support of the cardiovascular system. Often as we focus on the newest sensation we lose sight of the simple solutions we have at our fingertips. Garlic has been used throughout history and in many cultures to support the body for a myriad of ailments from AIDS to arthritis, to asthma and athlete’s foot to earache, Whooping Cough, parasites, Staph Infections, warts and many conditions in between.
For the cardiovascular system garlic has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most powerful circulatory remedies.
It is considered as effective as many drugs in lowering high blood pressure, but needs to be used regularly for long periods of time – three to six months or longer to see results. Garlic may also help remove plaque from the arterial walls and lower cholesterol levels. The fresh uncooked garlic has the best anti-hypertensive properties and is the least expensive. The suggestion by Master Herbalist, Steven Horne is to eat one to three cloves the size of an almond, daily. Larger doses are needed for arterial effects. Always eat garlic with food to avoid gastric upset. It can be cut small and eaten on bread, or crushed and added to prepared pasta or salads. Of course, garlic odor is always a problem when eating it fresh and you don’t want to go with an odorless tablet, because most of the effective properties are there when the odor is there. Chewing on parsley leaves can help deodorize your breath and body after ingesting garlic, as can drinking Liquid Chlorophyll. Liquid Chlorophyll is a green drink made from alfalfa leaves with many health supporting benefits of its own. When flavored with spearmint, liquid chlorophyll is palatable enough that even children enjoy it.
Because of the strong taste and odor of fresh garlic, most people prefer getting their garlic in capsule or tablet form. To avoid tasting the garlic, it helps to get a tablet that still contains all the beneficial properties of a whole clove of garlic but has been coated with chlorophyll so that the tablet does not break down until it reaches the small intestine where it is less likely to be tasted.
Horne recommends 6 to 10 capsules #290-0 or 2-3 High Potency Garlic tablets #292-9(with the chlorophyll coating) per day for three to six month for hypertension. Garlic may be taken continually for prevention after improvement. It may take the full three to six months to see improvement with circulatory conditions.
Gastric irritation is possible when eating garlic (you might want to start slowly). Taking the garlic with food will lessen the possibility of irritation. Garlic is not recommended for nursing mothers because it may contribute an off odor to the milk. Garlic may increase the blood thinning effect of anticoagulant drugs like warfarin. Because of this, garlic should be avoided prior to surgery.
Because of garlic’s stimulating properties, it may not be the best choice for those who are feeble, emaciated or suffering from a wasting condition. Tonic herbs may be more helpful in those cases.