Garlic is one of the most used herbal supplements in the U.S. because it may help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, slow the development of atherosclerosis, and help with other conditions. But which are the best garlic supplements, delivering a dose known to be effective without contamination?
Tests by ConsumerLab.com of 10 popular brands of garlic found that 40% failed to pass quality criteria. One yielded less than half the amount of a key phytochemical (allicin) associated with effective garlic. Two others failed to break apart properly in disintegration testing, and one product did not list its amount of garlic -- an FDA requirement. In addition, we discovered that a "super strength" garlic supplement was actually one of the lowest in strength — other products were as much as 10 times as strong.
Fortunately, our tests also uncovered several high-quality products offering exceptionally good value. One of these yielded more than 20,000 mcg of allicin -- a measure of garlic strength -- for just 10 cents a day
.
You must join to get the full test results, quality ratings, and comparisons for 10 products selected by ConsumerLab.com for testing and for one product which passed our voluntary quality certification testing. In this comprehensive review, you'll discover:
- Which products failed or passed our tests and why.
- How products compared on price and value.
- What garlic can and can't do.
- How to choose the right product and dose - for both aged and non-aged garlic.
- Cautions, drug interactions, and potential side effects of garlic.