Garlic May Lower Blood Pressure Similar to Antihypertensive Medications

A 2025 updated meta-analysis found that garlic extracts meaningfully lowered blood pressure in people with diagnosed hypertension compared to placebo.

This analysis included 12 placebo-controlled trials, with over 700 total participants. Across studies, garlic supplementation led to an average reduction of about 8 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic blood pressure.

The garlic doses used varied by formulation, ranging from approximately 188 mg to 2,400 mg per day. Most of the blood-pressure-lowering benefit clustered around standardized garlic extract doses of about 600 to 1,200 mg per day, taken for 8 to 24 weeks.

💡 The key finding: trial-level analysis showed that enough studies have already been conducted to confidently support this conclusion, suggesting the effect is consistent rather than a one-off result. Evidence grading also supported the robustness of the findings.

Results varied across studies due to differences in populations, garlic forms, dosing, and measurement methods. Even with this variability, the overall blood-pressure-lowering effect remained significant.

💡 What this means:
Garlic extract can be a meaningful adjunct for people with hypertension, especially as part of a food-first, lifestyle-supported approach. For individuals already taking blood pressure medications, monitoring is important to avoid excessive lowering.

PMID: 40735665