High Blood Pressure or hypertension is a condition in which the force of blood pushing against the artery walls is too high. People who suffer from high BP are usually prescribed regular medications in order to control the level. But there are alternative approaches to maintaining blood pressure. Dr Dixa Bhavsar Savaliya, an Ayurvedic doctor, presented one such method: garlic.
Surprised? After receiving positive follow-ups from her clients, Dr Bhavsar shared on her gram that due to its penetrating, intense, and vata-kapha lowering features, which aid in cleansing the body’s channels, garlic has anti-hypertensive properties.
Here are some benefits of Garlic that she talked about:
- It aids in controlling blood pressure
- It reduces the ache in the joints
- It rejects worms (Kirmi)
- It is excellent for improving cholesterol
- It pacifies or wards off cough and cold
- It is exceedingly good for improving immunity
- It develops our brain’s functioning
- It balances our blood sugar levels
- It aids in weight loss
Post sharing the plethora of benefits that garlic offers, Dr Dixa also shared the best way to consume it.
- For the vata-kapha prakriti, one must chew 1 clove of garlic every day in the morning.
- For pitta (people that have heart issues), you should fry the garlic in ghee. You can also have it with your breakfast or lunch.
- Abstain from having it on an empty stomach as it is hot in nature.
Furthermore, she talked about the various bioactive compounds present in this herb that helps in providing various health benefits.
- Volatile oil – 0.06-0.1%
- Carbohydrates – Arabinose, Galactose etc
- Vitamins – folic acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, thiamine, vit c
- Amino acids – (arinic, Asparagic acid, methionine etc.);
- Enzymes – alliinase
- Volatile compounds – allylalcohol, allylthiol, allylpropyl disulphide etc.
The health expert also mentioned that infusing garlic into your diet does not mean you should quit consuming your anti-hypertensive medications. This cannot take place immediately. It is more effective for preventive measures if you have hereditary high blood pressure. In this case, you can prevent it with garlic consumption and a healthy lifestyle.
While adding to this, she recommended people take garlic every day for 21 days for controlling blood pressure, and then check their reading. It can help to minimise the need for anti-hypertensive medications if you continue it for 8–12 weeks while making good lifestyle choices (and supplementing as needed with herbs like Gokshur, Arjun, etc.).
