International Journal of Advances in Medicine | July-September 2015 | Vol 2 | Issue 3 Page 231 International Journal of Advances in Medicine Bhardwaj K et al. Int J Adv Med. 2015 Aug;2(3):231-234 http://www.ijmedicine.com pISSN 2349-3925 | eISSN 2349-3933 Research Article Effect of long term supplementation of active garlic allicin in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive subjects Kshitij Bhardwaj 1 *, Manish Kumar Verma 2 , Narsingh Verma 3 , Shipra Bhardwaj 3 , Saumya Mishra 3 INTRODUCTION Several studies have shown that garlic has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors such as dyslipidemia, high blood pressure and glucose levels. In addition, it has an antioxidative effect, an antiplatelet aggregation effect, and enhances fibrinolytic activity. 1-4 Various studies on management of hypertension suggest that by reducing diastolic, blood pressure as little as 5 mm of Hg would decrease the risk of developing coronary heart disease by a massive 16 per cent. 2 Allicin, a sulfur-containing natural compound with many different biological ABSTRACT Background: Researchers all over the world have independently shown the effect of allicin in reducing blood pressure depends on its extraction and concentration. Among the active constituents in garlic, the principal component is allicin. It is not present in the intact garlic clove but is produced together with pyruvate and ammonia from the odourless precursor alliin (S-allyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide) in the presence of the enzyme alliinase; Allin and allinase are found in different compartments of the garlic clove and are brought into contact to produce allicin only by cutting or crushing the clove. If garlic is processed and extracted, using oil, the activity of the sulphur compounds is sealed which could not be readily used by the body. Study aim to use pure raw and active form of sulphur from garlic and observe the effect of associated allicin on hypertensive subjects. Methods: Extracted active sulphur chemicals and allicin from garlic by crushing fresh garlic cloves using water as extracting medium. Raw crushed 25 gm. garlic clove with water was given twice daily to 100 hypertensive subjects, 60 males and 40 females of 30-55 years of age for the period of six months. Health records of each subjects was individually maintained. Blood pressure was measured initially, after three months and finally after six months. Statistically comparison was made between initial, three months and six months blood pressure data of the subjects. Results: This simple extraction method produce allicin yield of 100%, which reduced up to 10% (5mmHg) systolic and diastolic Blood pressure in subjects who were supplemented with garlic–allicin paste. Conclusions: Extraction quality and activity of allicin is dependent of mode of processing and extraction medium. Garlic is a basic food that augments the body health and lowers blood pressure as well as blood cholesterol. Garlic is an ideal herb for several cardiovascular supplements. It would be of value to further examine these effects of allicin in humans with hypertension. Future research will enable in vivo measurement of allicin and its pharmacological properties; physiological effects and mechanisms of action should be investigated further. Keywords: Garlic, Allicin, Hypertension, Cardiovascular system, Blood pressure 1 Department of Chemical Technology, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur, India 2 Department of Physiology, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Safedabad Barabanki, UP, India 3 Department of Physiology, King George Medical University, Lucknow, India Received: 13 June 2015 Accepted: 11 July 2015 *Correspondence: Dr. Kshitij Bhardwaj, E-mail: kbhardwaj3@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2349-3933.ijam20150550