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Wild garlic has a greater effect than regular garlic on blood pressure and blood chemistries of rats

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Abstract

When groups of 10 Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) were fed diets containing either 1% w/w regular garlic (Allium sativum) (AS) or 1% w/w wild garlic (Allium ursinum) (AU) for 45days, the final mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was reduced significantly compared to control (C) (C 189; AS 175; Au 173 mm Hg). Compared to C, body weight and circulating glucose and triglyceride levels were not significantly different; but circulating insulin was significantly higher (C 23.6; AS33.9; AU 29.5 uIU/dl), and total cholesterol was significantly lower (C 133; AS 115; AU117 mg/dl) in the two groups consuming AS or AU. HDL rose in the two garlic groups, but the differences from C were statistically significant only for the AU group. In a second study, the effects of a lower dose of dietary AS and AU (0.1% w/w) on SBP and various blood chemistries were compared head-to-head in 80SHR — 40 control and 40 test rats. Both AS and AU decreased SBP significantly compared to a control group of 10 SHR followed simultaneously. However, AU at this lower concentration produced a significantly greater SBP-lowering effect compared to the AS group. In addition, AU decreased total cholesterol significantly and tended to increase HDL compared to AS. Accordingly, the results suggest that AU has a greater therapeutic benefit compared to AS at a given concentration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., USA

    Harry G. Preuss, Ali Mohamadi & S. Taylor Jarrell

  2. 555 Bryant Street, #357, Palo Alto, CA, 94301-1704, USA

    Dallas Clouatre

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  1. Harry G. Preuss
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Preuss, H.G., Clouatre, D., Mohamadi, A. et al. Wild garlic has a greater effect than regular garlic on blood pressure and blood chemistries of rats. Int Urol Nephrol 32, 525–530 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014417526290

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