Garlic is one of the most valuable hypertension herb beneficial to your heart. The buildup of toxins leads to abnormal blood pressure and heart problem; garlic helps to break up these toxins. Garlic stimulates blood circulation and improves digestion.

Garlic Plant: Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species in the onion genus, Allium. “Allium sativum” is derived from the Celtic word “all,” means burning or stinging, and the Latin word “sativum” means planted or cultivated.

It has a history of use as a spice in various countries. Garlic has traditionally been used to treat earaches, severe diarrhea, leprosy, deafness, constipation, fever, fight infections and relieve stomach.

Garlic has been on the top ten lists of herbal sales for several years.

The Scientific name of Garlic is Allium Sativum. It is also called by different names such as Allium, Clove Garlic, and Garlic Clove.

Garlic nutritional value: Garlic contains Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Selenium, and Decent amounts of calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B1.

Garlic is a rich source of highly bioavailable selenium; this may be the garlic’s antioxidant property important for health.

The most biologically active compounds in garlic are allicin (diallyl disulfide), it does not exist until it is crushed/cut. Crushing the bulb activates the enzyme alliinase metabolizes alliin into allicin.

Different available forms of the Garlic: You can consume Garlic as raw, boiled, and mild roasted. Garlic dried powder, garlic oil, and garlic extracts are also available.

Recommended daily dosage for garlic: For adult’s general health, the WHO recommends a daily dose of 2 to 5 grams or one clove of fresh garlic, 0.4 to 1.2 grams of dried garlic powder, 2 to 5 milligrams of garlic oil, or 300 to 1,000 milligrams of garlic extract.

How do you take garlic? Whether you are using garlic raw or cooked, for maximum benefits chop or crush it and let allow it for 10 minutes before eating or heating it for a recipe.

The chopping activates alliinase enzymes in the garlic, and leaving it for some time allows these enzymes to convert allin into allicin. Allicin rapidly breaks down to form organosulfur compounds.

How does garlic lower blood pressure?

Many studies show organ sulfur compounds in garlic improves cardiovascular health, including lowering blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and act as an anti-inflammatory.

There is no clear-cut established mode of action of garlic in lowering blood pressure. Still, there is numerous mechanism of antihypertensive action is suggested, this include:

1. Garlic reduces prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 level and thereby can reduce hypertension.
2. They inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme and can lower blood pressure.
3. Garlic’s hydrogen sulfide production and allicin content have angiotensin II inhibiting and vasodilation effects that lower blood pressure.
4. Garlic stimulates intracellular nitric oxide production, which in turn promotes vasodilation and thus reduce blood pressure.

Garlic’s scientific evidence

Aged garlic extract reduces blood pressure in hypertensive: a dose–response trial, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Jan; 67(1): 64–70. Mean systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced by 11.8±5.4 mm Hg in the garlic-2-capsule group over 12 weeks compared with placebo.

Effect of garlic on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis, BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2008 8:13 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2261-8-13. Our meta-analysis suggests that garlic preparations are superior to placebo in reducing blood pressure in individuals with hypertension.

15 Medicinal Uses of Garlic

Garlic makes your food delicious; it also has a numerous health benefits; they are:

1. Reduces blood pressure – Active components in the garlic can lower your blood pressure by various modes of action.
2. Nutritious - It contains Manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, Selenium, and decent amounts of calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B1.
3. Combat sickness - Raw garlic is used to treat colds and coughs; at the onset, you should eat at least two crushed cloves, which will help lessen the severity of your cold.
4. Improves cholesterol profile – Garlic lowered total cholesterol and triglyceride levels by up to 20 mg/dL in humans.
5. Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia - The beneficial effects of garlic and its constituents on neuronal physiology and brain functions are beginning to emerge. Dietary garlic as an alternative herbal pharmacotherapy for Alzheimer's disease.
6. Detoxify – It help get rid of heavy metals from your body.
7. Improve Bone Health - A group of scientists at the University of California has found that aged garlic can help improve the bone density of patients with atherosclerosis.
8. Eye Care - Garlic is rich in Selenium, Quercetin, and Vitamin C; they help treat eye infections and swelling.
9. Intestinal Problems - Garlic is useful for most intestinal problems like dysentery, diarrhea, and colitis. It destroys harmful bacteria and dispels worms in the intestine. At the same time, it does not affect useful organisms in the intestine that aid digestion.
10. Aids Digestion - Daily intake of garlic aids in eliminating digestive problems. It assists in the normal intestinal function. Swollen or irritated gastric canal may be healed.
11. Asthma – Before bedtime, eating three garlic cloves boiled in a glass of milk bring subsequent relief for patients with asthma. Crushed garlic cloves with malt vinegar can control the asthma attacks.
12. Sexual Problems - Garlic has aphrodisiac properties, thus useful as a sex rejuvenator. It enhances the libido of both men and women.
13. Blood Purifier – Purify your blood by taking two cloves of raw garlic with warm water, early in the morning, every day. Support proper purification by consuming a lot of water in the entire day. It makes your skin glow without any acne.
14. Weight loss - If you are looking to shed some pounds, then squeeze half a lemon in a glass of warm water and drink it with two crushed cloves of garlic in the mornings. Garlic will help to cleanse your system and flush out toxins.
15. Cancer – Regular consumption of garlic can lower the risk of colon, stomach and esophageal cancer. It aids in reducing the carcinogenic compounds production.

Garlic side effects or warnings

Raw garlic taken by mouth can cause burning sensation in the mouth or stomach, bad breath, heartburn, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, body odor, and diarrhea. These side effects increase proportionally to the amount consumed.

Raw garlic can cause severe, burn-like skin irritation if applied to the skin directly.

You can take Garlic along with your hypertension medication (don't stop it).

If your blood pressure drops after few days of garlic use, then you can reduce the dosage and monitor your blood pressure closely for any raise. If it raises, then change back to your original medicine dosage. In the other hand, if BP reduces further after some days of practice then again you can reduce the drug dose!

Alpha Blockers blocks the hormone noradrenaline from tightening the muscles in the walls of smaller arteries and veins. It causes the vessels to remain open and relaxed, thus improves blood flow, and lowers blood pressure.

Alpha blockers are also called alpha-adrenergic blocking agents, alpha-adrenergic antagonists, adrenergic blocking agents and alpha-blocking agents.

Alpha blockers reduce the arterial resistance, relaxes the muscle tone of the vascular walls, thus reduce blood pressure.

Commonly prescribed alpha blockers medications on the market, include:

1. Doxazosin mesylate (brand name: Cardura)
2. Prazosin hydrochloride  (brand name: Minipress)
3. Terazosin hydrochloride (brand name: Hytrin)
4. Phenoxybenzamine (brand name: Dibenzyline)

There are six alpha-blockers available to prescribe in the UK. They are alfuzosin, doxazosin, indoramin, prazosin, tamsulosin, and terazosin.

Alpha blockers, α-blockers, or alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists medicines are mainly used to treat hypertension and enlarged prostate gland in men with problem passing urine.

Alpha receptors are present in the muscles of the blood vessels. When activated, they tighten up the muscle. Alpha blockers block these alpha receptors. Thus the muscle of the blood vessels remain relaxed, blood flows more easily, and thereby lowering your blood pressure.

How do alpha-blockers work?

Nerve endings release a neurotransmitter called noradrenaline when stimulated. This neurotransmitter stimulates the alpha-adrenergic receptors present on the cells of the heart, smooth muscle and blood vessels to contract. The alpha-blocker medicines block the alpha-adrenergic receptors from being stimulated; thus blood vessels stay relaxed. It allows oxygen-rich blood to circulate freely through your body, lower your blood pressure, and reduce heart strain.

For prostate gland enlargement, alpha-blockers work by relaxing bladder and prostate muscles so you can able to pass urine more freely.

When do alpha-blockers usually prescribed?

For hypertension, alpha-blockers are usually prescribed when most other medicines have failed to produce a result.

If other medicines such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, water/diuretics pills, and beta-blockers are failed to work, then you can try alpha-blockers. They may use alpha-blockers as well as these other medicines.

Who should avoid Alpha blockers?

Avoid peripheral Alpha-adrenergic blockers, if elderly and people who have liver problems should discuss with the doctor about the risks of using these medications.

What are the side effects of alpha blockers?

Dizziness, tiredness, drop in blood pressure when you stand up, lightheaded, vision problems, swelling (of the hands, feet, ankles, or legs), decreased sexual ability, fast heart rate.

What are the warning signs of alpha blockers?

Consult a doctor immediately if having; chest pain, irregular heartbeat, and painful erection in men.

Lowering blood pressure by following simple lifestyle changes such as:

maintaining a healthy weight,

eating the right diet,

increase physical activity (blood pressure exercise),

reducing salt intake (replace with potassium salt),

quit smoking and

limit alcohol.

Only about half (54%) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control.

12 Lifestyle Changes to Lower your Blood Pressure

Everyone who diagnosed as hypertension should healthily modify their lifestyle. The hypertensive patient should adhere to a healthy lifestyle; it supports the medication to work effectively as well as help lower your risk towards hypertension complications.

1. Eat real food - Processed and packed foods are full of refined carbohydrates, sugar, fructose, Tran’s fat, and other chemical ingredients. These unhealthy ingredients affect your health; one among them is hypertension. Organic, unrefined, and whole foods are real food. Eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, butter or ghee, grass-fed organic milk, and organic egg.  Increase NO3-rich veggies (which raise your NO level) are beets, kale, celery, spinach, and carrots. Visit a hypertension diet for more details.
2. Limit Carbohydrates - Scientific research published in the journal, Diabetes reported that two-thirds of the insulin-resistant individuals also had high blood pressure. That is as your insulin level increases, so do your blood pressure. Additionally, insulin resistance hinders the magnesium storage and passes out through urination, shortage of magnesium to relax the muscles, and so raises your blood pressure. Insulin resistance is directly attributable to high sugar, high grain diet, especially if accompanied by inadequate exercise. Thus it is better to replace refined sugar with raw sugar and refined flour with whole-grain flour.
3. Stop fructose - Fructose typically elevates uric acid within minutes of ingestion, it inhibits nitric oxide that helps your blood vessels to maintain their elasticity. So NO suppression leads to increases in blood pressure. Stop every food item that contains fructose corn syrup.
4. Maintain sodium to potassium ratio - Imbalance in the potassium to sodium ratio can lead to hypertension. It increases the levels of potassium blunt the adverse effects of sodium. Thus adding potassium can help lower your blood pressure. Potassium-rich foods are beans, dark leafy greens, potatoes, squash, yogurt, fish, avocados, mushrooms, and bananas. Visit hypertension salt for more details.
5. Optimize your gut microbe - The best way to optimize your gut flora is by adding fermented foods to your diets such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, cheese, and natto. Fermented foods also an essential source of vitamin K2 plays a vital role in protecting your heart and brain.
6. Optimize vitamin D - Vitamin D deficiency is a highly prevalent condition worldwide. Vitamin D deficiency causes inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin system that leads to hypertension. Optimizing vitamin D can lower your blood pressure. You can get it free by exposing your skin to the sun, preferably the rising sun in the morning. If you prefer to get it as a supplement, then consider taking a vitamin D3.
7. Exercises – Do 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise for four to seven days per week? Visit hypertension exercise for more details.
8. Weight loss - Try to achieve or maintain healthy body weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2). Maintain healthy waist circumference (Men below 102 cm and Women below 88 cm). Visit hypertension weight loss for more details.
9. Stress management – It is well known and accepted the fact that stress elevates your blood pressure. In the case of many hypertension patients, stress is an essential contributing factor for elevation in blood pressure. So managing your stress is necessary to lower your blood pressure as well as improve your overall health, specifically heart health. Yoga, meditation, Tai chi, and enjoying music are some easy stress-busting relaxation techniques help better management of hypertension. Visit hypertension stress management for more details.
10. Omega 3 - Clinical evidence suggests the two omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA found in fish oil reduce high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Good options include eating wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, and anchovies. Alternatively, take supplements such as high-quality krill oil, fish oil, or algae oil (a vegetarian source of Omega-3).
11. No Tobacco - Stop tobacco usage in any form as well as maintain the tobacco-free environment. Visit hypertension smoking for more details.
12. Limit Alcohol - Your alcohol consumption should not be more than two standard drinks per day or 14 drinks per week for men (or nine drinks per week for women or lean person). Limit alcohol consumption, too much of alcohol can raise your blood pressure. On the other hand, stop or limiting alcohol can help lower your blood pressure. Visit hypertension alcohol for more details.

Gestational hypertension or pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is a condition characterized by high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Gestational hypertension is characterized as having a blood pressure higher than 140/90 mmHg on two separate occasions at least 6 hours apart without protein in the urine diagnosed after 20 weeks of gestation.

Gestational hypertension may lead to a serious condition called preeclampsia. Hypertension during pregnancy affects 6 to 8% of pregnant women.

Gestational hypertension risk factors

Certain women may have increased risk towards gestational hypertension, they are:

1. First time mother
2. Mother and sister had pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH).
3. Mother carrying multiples
4. Younger than age 20 or older than 40.
5. Being overweight or obese
6. Leading sedentary life; failing to stay active.
7. Smoking and drinking alcohol.
8. If there is a history of diabetes, hypertension and renal disease
9. Have donated a kidney.
10. The family history of preeclampsia.
11. Assistive technology such as IVF

How do I know, whether I have gestational hypertension?

If you have increased risk towards gestational hypertension, then you should be more vigilant about your blood pressure. At every prenatal checkup, your doctor’s should check your blood pressure and protein level in the urine. Additionally, your doctor may check your kidney, blood tests, ultrasound scan to check baby’s growth, and Doppler scan to check blood flow to the placenta.

How to treat gestational hypertension?

For mild hypertension with the fully developed baby, follow the below said suggestions.

1. Increase prenatal checkups.
2. Reduce your sodium salt consumption.
3. Try drinking eight glasses of water.
4. Always prefer to lie on the left side to keep baby weight off from your major blood vessels.
5. Take more fruits and vegetables rich in potassium such as banana, papaya, prune, raisins, mango, kiwi, orange, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and pear.
6. Exposing to morning sunlight gives you enough vitamin D, which helps to lower your BP.
7. Do regular walking helps to lower your blood pressure.

If your hypertension is severe, then you need to treat it with medication to maintain blood pressure until you safely deliver the baby.

Symptoms of gestational hypertension

Below is the list of pregnancy-induced hypertension, consult your doctor immediately if you have these symptoms.

1. Severe headaches
2. Blood vomiting
3. Too much swelling of feet and hands
4. Reduced amounts of urine or no urine.
5. Blood in the urine
6. Faster heartbeat
7. Dizziness or drowsiness
8. Excessive nausea or vomiting
9. Double or blurred vision
10. Tummy pain
11. Ringing in the ear

Does gestational hypertension affect my baby?

Yes, if your blood pressure is not in control then it affects your baby.

High blood pressure prevents the placenta from getting enough blood. Thus your baby receives less food and oxygen results in low birth weight. However, a mother who properly controlled their hypertension gives birth a healthy baby.

Severe hypertension leads to preeclampsia; a serious condition affects both mom and baby.

What is the hypertension medication consider safe during pregnancy?

Medications methyldopa and labetalol are consider to be safe for use to control blood pressure during pregnancy.

Medications ACE inhibitors, renin inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers should avoid during pregnancy. These drugs can pass through the bloodstream to the developing baby, and it negatively affects the baby’s health. 

The Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) study shows approximately 15% had resistant hypertension.

Approximately one in ten people with high blood pressure (nearly 100 million people worldwide) are resistant-hypertension.

What is Resistant Hypertension? Resistant hypertension refers to a blood pressure that stays stubbornly above the target in spite of the treatment with three drugs one among them is a diuretic. High blood pressure cannot be classified as “Resistant” until treatment failure with three-drug combination one among them should be a diuretic.

The true resistant hypertension is difficult to quantify because many patients suffer from ‘pseudo-resistant’ hypertension.

What is Pseudo-Resistant Hypertension? Pseudo-resistant hypertension refers to poorly controlled hypertension that appears to be resistant, but not. Most common reasons for pseudo-resistant hypertension are medication non-compliance, non-adhere to lifestyle advice, BP measurement error, white-coat hypertension, and other medication use that interfere with blood pressure.

Research suggests 28 % of treated hypertensive individuals are considered resistant to treatment.

Resistant hypertension diagnosis

How do I know whether I am resistant or pseudo-resistant hypertension?

Pseudo-resistance must be ruled out with a thorough hypertension adhesion review, followed by BP measurement with proper technique.

1. Assessing adherence to drug therapy - It is difficult to assert whether a patient truly adheres to an optimal dose of the 3-drug regimen. Hypertension adhesion review or patient noncompliance include whether taking the right medicines, correct dosage, and in time. Additionally, whether following healthy lifestyle choices that help lower blood pressure.
2. Rule out measurement error - Confirm BP measurement using an appropriately sized cuff, patient correctly positioned, and test after at least a 5-minute rest. Over 50% of apparent resistant hypertension are due to improper or inaccurate blood pressure measurement. The most common error is using the smaller cuff.
3. Rule out white-coat effect – Some individuals’ experience BP raise only in doctor’s office called white-coat effect. Confirm BP is not affected by white coat effect and wrongly consider as resistant hypertension. To burst this error, your doctor might order ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. For ambulatory BP monitoring, you need to wear a pager-sized automatic blood pressure recorder for 24 hours. Alternatively, you can use home blood pressure monitor to check your BP several times a day.
4. Other drugs that interfere BP control - heavy alcohol consumption, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib), oral contraceptives or estrogen, antidepressants (such as bupropion, venlafaxine), and herbal supplements (such as Ginseng, licorice) will make BP difficult to control.

Patients with resistant hypertension are 50% more likely to experience an adverse cardiovascular event compared with patients with BP controlled by at least three antihypertensive agents.

If you ruled out all the above possible errors, then you are diagnosed with resistant hypertension. Otherwise pseudo-resistant hypertension and needs to correct the errors to achieve your target.

Resistant hypertension causes

High blood pressure causes arterial stiffness. Thus uncontrolled hypertension over time leads to resistant hypertension.

Patients with resistant hypertension have the common clinical characteristic that includes obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, older age, arterial stiffness, and left ventricular hypertrophy.

1. Renal artery stenosis – Formation of artery plaque in blood vessels that nourish the kidneys. It is a hidden contributor to resistant hypertension.
2. Obstructive sleep apnea – Sleep conditions characterized by breath-pause while sleeping. Sympathetic nervous system activation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in patients with OSA. Sympathetic overactivity may result in blood pressure elevation via vasoconstriction and increased systemic vascular resistance, increased cardiac output, and enhanced fluid retention. Increased aldosterone levels have been observed in OSA patients with resistant hypertension.
3. Arteriosclerosis – The hardening and stiffening of the arteries. High blood pressure stems from hardening of arteries.
4. Other BP interference - Obesity or heavy intake of alcohol or other substances that can interfere with blood pressure, which results in resistant hypertension.
5. Overactive adrenal glands (Cushing's syndrome) - Excess production of aldosterone by adrenal glands subsequently decrease renin levels. This excess leads to hypertension, metabolic alkalosis, hypernatremia, and potassium loss resulting in hypokalemia. This vicious cycle leads to resistant hypertension. Aldosterone stimulates sodium retention, increase arterial stiffness, endothelial dysfunction, and impaired baroreflex function.
6. Chronic Kidney Disease - renal disease represents one of the forms of target organ damage induced by hypertension. It seems that the relationship between hypertension and CKD is bidirectional; a vicious cycle leads to resistant hypertension. Treatment resistance in patients with CKD is due to sodium and fluid retention.

Laboratory evaluation includes renal function by assessing potassium, urea & creatinine levels and a urine dipstick to assess albumin and hemoglobin levels. An ultrasound test to assess renal size. It will help to identify small kidneys typical of the non-diabetic renal disease, or asymmetrical kidneys were seen in the renovascular disease.

Resistant hypertension treatment

Non-adherence to therapy may be a much more common cause of resistant (actually pseudo-resistant) hypertension than appreciated.

In the case of pseudo-resistant hypertension, the treatment should focus on to determine the cause of the noncompliance and to alleviate it.

7 Lifestyle change for resistant hypertension

You already know, resistant hypertension is difficult to manage. Thus you need to help the medication to work efficiently with some healthy changes in your lifestyle.

1. Strictly comply with the medicine - take right medicines, correct dosage, and in time.
2. Limit the sodium salt - stay away from foods high in sodium. You know processed foods are loads of sodium.
3. Healthy diet - Eat more vegetables and fruits, avoid sugar, and change to whole grain instead of refined carbs.
4. Watch your weight - Reducing calorie intake and increasing exercise help to lost weight.
5. Stop tobacco use - Tobacco will harden your arteries and thus raises the blood pressure. You BP are already resistant to treatment. Thus you must stop tobacco use.
6. Limit alcohol - Excess alcohol elevates your blood pressure; limit alcohol no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.
7. Reduce stress - Mental, emotional, physical stressors can raise your blood pressure. Meditation, yoga, tai chi, and breathing can lower it.

Treatment for secondary caused resistant hypertension

Studies show just 5 to 10% of resistant hypertension patients have an underlying secondary cause for their elevated blood pressure.

Resistant hypertension may be due to some underlying problem. Thus the treatment should focus on this underlying problem.

1. Abnormal body fluid balance is usually due to kidney disease, in such a case dialysis might help. Providing treatment to the kidney disease help to normalize body fluid and then blood pressure.
2. A hormone imbalance induced resistant hypertension can be corrected by normalizing the hormonal profile.
3. Renal artery stenosis induced resistant hypertension can be corrected by opening the blocked arteries with balloon angioplasty often improves blood pressure.
4. Obstructive sleep apnea induced resistant hypertension can be managed by using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the best treatment choice for patients with OSA.
5. Obesity or heavy intake of alcohol or other substances induced resistant hypertension can be reversed by cutting down alcohol or other problematic substances and work to lose weight.

Resistant hypertension patients have a 3-fold increase in the risk of a cardiovascular event compared with controlled hypertension.

Medicinal treatment for resistant hypertension

No clinical trials have studied the effectiveness of specific drug regimens for the resistant hypertension treatment.

The available evidence emphasizes the use of low dose spironolactone as the preferred fourth drug if the potassium level in the blood is ≤4.5 mmol/L. With higher blood potassium levels, intensification of the thiazide-like diuretic drug should be considered.

Combinational medicine for resistant hypertension therapy

• An initial combination of thiazide diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and calcium channel blocker is often helping better control.
• For aged men who may have prostate disease, long-acting alpha-blockers such as doxazosin are very useful.
• For low potassium levels, aldosterone antagonist such as spironolactone or eplerenone may be very effective.
• Other most commonly used antihypertensive agents are hydralazine in multiple daily divided doses, along with beta-blocker for controlling the heart rate, methyldopa, and clonidine.