10 Best Garlic Supplements To Stay Fit & Fine
For over 5,000 years, garlic has been used not only as food but also as an aphrodisiac, a form of money, medicine and even as an important ingredient in magic potions.
During ancient history, people would often hang garlic over their doors to protect their homes and family from evil, such as bloodthirsty vampires, and health maladies like the black plague.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was known to prescribe garlic for a variety of health ailments during his time, some of which included 1:
- Wound treatment
- Fight infection
- Leprosy cure
- Ease digestion
- Heart problems
In fact, in regards to disease treatment and overall health maintenance, garlic was one of the earliest plants used by humans for its healing purposes, and it continues to prove useful for a number of health-related issues today.
In this article, we will break down everything you need to know to determine what the best garlic product is for your health needs as well as how garlic works to help with different health issues.
Editor’s Top Picks
If you don’t have time to read the complete article, check out our top picks below.
10 Best Garlic Capsules (2021 Reviews)
#1 Allimed (Best Overall)
If you want the best garlic supplement with allicin that actually works and has been used for numerous different medical conditions you need to buy Allimed. It’s simply the only garlic product that has a potent amount (450 mg) of stabilized allicin.
It’s more expensive but worth the price since it’s the only garlic capsule that doctors use for therapeutic efficacy.
Allimed ® is a unique garlic formula that contains large quantities of stable Allicin in their final product. To ensure that their supplements contain the same amount of Allicin that would be found when fresh garlic is crushed, Allimed is uniquely prepared under controlled and patented conditions.
As compared to other garlic products, Allimed is the only supplement that delivers Allicin directly to your body.
In fact, most other garlic products rely on the natural metabolic pathways present within our bodies to convert their active ingredients into Allicin, however, these processes often limit the amount of Allicin that can be delivered to the body per capsule.
Allimed does not get destroyed by the acids in the stomach like other garlic products, therefore it can be easily dissolved for absorption into the bloodstream to obtain the full effects of this miraculous compound 2.
Ingredients in Allimed:
- 450 mg Allisure AC-23 natural allicin extract
#2 Allimax
Allimax is made by the same company as Allimed but it contains a bit less allicin than Allimed at 180 mg compared to 450 mg. This garlic formula does not have the medical grade strength that Allimed has, but it is still one of the best garlic products for the immune system you can buy because it contains stabilized allicin powder like Allimed.
If you’re looking for a weaker garlic pill that still contains stabilized allicin, this is a good product to try. This product will be much more effective than the other garlic products which do not contain allicin in them.
Ingredients in Allimax:
- 180 mg Allicin Extract (Garlic Bulb)
#3 HeartLife (Best For High Blood Pressure & Heart)
HeartLife was specifically designed to help with heart health and the blood cells in the body. This is the best garlic supplement for high blood pressure and heart health if you are dealing with those issues because it combines stabilized Allicin with cayenne and other helpful medicinal herbs.
HearthLife™ works to improve the quality of your red blood cells and reduces blood pressure, significantly helps reduce stress levels, helps to remove damaging extra heartbeats, and also improves the flexibility of your arteries and veins.
The powerful natural ingredients in HeartLife include:
- 180 mg 100% stabilized allicin powder (derived from garlic)
- 75 mg Flaxseeds
- 75 mg Sesame seeds
- 100 mg L-Arginine base
- 20 mg Cayenne Pepper
#4 DiabaLife (Best for Diabetes)
DiabaLife is made with 100% stabilized Allicin. Allicin is the active component in fresh peeled garlic which has many medicinal properties. But raw garlic has limitations such as it gets destroyed by stomach acid, decomposes by your intestinal epithelial cells, is affected by your body’s pH and also can give you bad breath and/or body odor. By using a patented process, DiabaLife has overcome all of those limitations by developing 100% stabilized Allicin and incorporating it into a pure vegetable capsule product.
One 450 mg capsule gives you the equivalent amount of eating 360 cloves of fresh garlic. The 100% stabilized Allicin extract in this formula also helps to control the HBA1C levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure with research showing results within 3-4 months of consuming DiabaLife.
DiabaLife is made with five powerful natural ingredients:
- 100% stabilized Allicin extract (Garlic Bulb)
- Cinnamon
- Bitter Melon
- Broccoli
- Spinach
#5 Pure Encapsulations – GarliActive
While this product has been noted to provide individuals with some of the benefits of garlic, the active ingredient of this product is allinase, the enzyme that is responsible for converting allin to allicin.
This supplement does not contain stabilized allicin like Allimed or Allimax so the results will not be as good as using one of the products with stabilized allicin.
I would not recommend this product compared to the higher-rated products since it does not have the same high strength form of stabilized allicin, but if you really need a low budget option it’s worth a try.
Ingredients in GarliActive:
- 750 mg garlic extract (bulb)
- No Allicin
#6 BRI Nutrition Garlic (Best Odorless)
BRI Nutrition set out to create a quality garlic product that is odorless and doesn’t cause garlic burps. This is simply the best odorless garlic supplement if that is the main feature you’re looking for. Their garlic formula contains 1000 mg of garlic without the odor and burps. This product is manufactured in the US and also contains parsley seeds to aid in fresher breath.
Overall, if you’re looking for a quality garlic product without the odor and don’t care about getting a stabilized form of Allicin then this product is worth a try. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more potent and effective garlic product check out one of our top-rated supplements like Allimed or Allimax.
Ingredients:
- 1000 mg garlic
- 200 mg parsley seed oil
- 56 mcg chlorophyll
- No Allicin
#7 Think Aged Black Garlic
Think Remedy has created a garlic pill that contains s-allyl-cysteine (SAC). This is one of the best aged black garlic extract supplements on the market. They use a special fermentation process with their garlic bulbs. Think chooses wholesome garlic bulbs which then undergo a 2-step fermentation process, transforming the sulfur compound allicin into SAC. The black garlic is then left out to oxidize, crushed into powder form and encapsulated. They guarantee that their product contains at least 1.2mg of SAC per serving.
Overall, Think has created an interesting product that contains a small amount of S-Allyl-Cysteine which they claim is better than Allicin. Although, it only contains a small amount of this compound as compared to higher potency garlic products like Allimed.
Ingredients:
- 800 mg aged black garlic powder
- 1.2 mg S-Allyl-Cysteine
#8 Kyolic Garlic Extract
Kyolic has created an organic garlic formula that contains aged garlic extract without the odor that typically comes with garlic products. Kyolic takes pride in using organically grown garlic for its supplement ensuring that it is of high quality. If you’re looking for one of the best organic garlic supplements this is a good option.
Kyolic’s garlic product has also been researched in numerous scientific papers showing that it is actually effective. Overall, Kyolic has created a quality garlic extract supplement at an affordable price which may be worth a try. Although if you’re someone who has issues with dairy the product does contain whey in it.
Ingredients:
- Aged garlic extract 600 mg
- No Allicin
- Does contain whey in the formula
#9 Puritan’s Pride Odorless Garlic
Puritan’s Pride is an odorless garlic soft gel that contains 1000 mg of garlic. This product does not contain any stabilized allicin which is said to be responsible for garlic’s medicinal benefits. If you’re looking for a high-quality garlic product that will actually give you results we suggest taking a look at Allimed or one of the other top-rated products which contain Allicin.
Ingredients:
- 1000 mg garlic (odorless)
- No Allicin
#10 Zhou Nutrition Garlic
Zhou has created a garlic capsule that contains 5 mg of Allicin. They use a special manufacturing process to ensure that you receive this Allicin in each pill. Allicin is the main compound studied in garlic which has been proven to have medicinal benefits.
Overall, Zhou does contain 5 mg of Allicin which is better than nothing but that doesn’t compare to a product like Allimed which contains 450 mg of Allicin per capsule. If you’re looking for a high potency Allicin product go with Allimed or Allimax.
Ingredients:
- 415 mg garlic
- 5 mg Allicin
Why is Garlic Healthy?
So what is it about this pungent plant that makes it healthy? To answer this question, we have to look a little deeper into the complex chemistry of garlic.
Sulfur and Garlic – The Health Connection
When garlic is intact and sitting on your kitchen counter, you would not realize the strong odor that this plant possesses. It is not until you cut and crush garlic that you begin to smell that potent odor, which is a result of the numerous sulfur-containing compounds within this plant that are released during this process.
Garlic contains approximately 33 different types of organic sulfur compounds, the most prominent of these being:
- Aliin
- Allicin
- Ajeone
- Allylpropyl disulfide
While sulfur compounds are often the origin of the foul smells, particularly in the case of garlic, this essential element also plays an important role in a number of biochemical and metabolic processes that take place in our body. Sulfur is present in important vitamins like biotin and thiamine, and this element also is an important structural part of many enzymes and antioxidant molecules in our body such as glutathione and thioredoxin 3.
To learn more about garlic’s health benefits see this article.
Allicin: The Source of Garlic’s Medicinal Benefits
Allicin, as previously mentioned, is one of the major biologically active sulfur components of garlic that accounts for a plethora of the health benefits associated with garlic. This means, when looking for the most effective garlic capsule, it needs to contain high amounts of stabilized allicin.
The health benefits of Allicin include: 
- Lower total cholesterol (LDL)
- Lower triglycerides
- Prevent heart-related conditions (heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis)
- Support overall health of the circulatory system (lower incidence of heart attack and strokes)
- Restore suppressed antibody responses
- High blood pressure
- Tick bites
- Ringworm
- Athlete’s foot
- Antimicrobial activity
- Prevent the common cold
- Prevent and treat multiple types of cancer (colorectal, stomach, breast, prostate)
Allicin is produced when a garlic clove is chopped or crushed. Garlic contains an amino acid called alliin and when garlic is crushed it combines with the enzyme alliinase to produce allicin. Allicin is the medicinal compound that helps fight infections, lower blood pressure, and help with heart health.
This means that to get allicin you either need to eat crushed fresh garlic or take a supplement that contains a stabilized form of allicin so your body can absorb it. If you buy a garlic pill that does not contain a stabilized form of allicin you are basically just taking in garlic powder which may have some benefits but won’t contain the therapeutic grade qualities that Allicin offers. You’re best off either eating fresh garlic cloves or purchasing a supplement that contains a good amount of Allicin.
How Do You Take Garlic Supplements?
Depending on the health reason that you are looking to treat will determine the method and dosage of your garlic treatment. If you’re dealing with gut issues, you can check out our review of Allimed for SIBO to see the general protocols for gut issues.
Garlic pills are most often taken by mouth a few times a day, however, garlic can also be incorporated into a gel or cream to treat fungal skin infections like ringworm, jock itch, and athlete’s foot.
It is generally recommended that when you are choosing a garlic supplement, it contains at least 4,000 micrograms (μg) of allicin powder. This is the minimum recommended amount of Allicin, while it is certainly more beneficial to get a higher amount of Allicin than this.
Typical Garlic Supplement Dosages:
- Studies on garlic use a dosage range of 600-1,200mg a day, divided into multiple doses Source 1, Source 2
- The minimum effective dose for raw garlic is a single segment of a garlic bulb (called a clove), eaten with meals two or three times a day
- For hardening of the arteries, it has been recommended that 300 mg garlic tablet taken 1-3 times daily for up to 4 years is used
- For diabetes, 600 to 1500 mg daily has been used for 12 weeks
- For high cholesterol, 1000 to 7200 mg daily has been used for 4-6 months
- For high blood pressure, 300 to 1500 mg daily for 24 weeks has been used
- For prostate cancer, 1 mg/kg of a water-soluble garlic extract, taken daily for one month, has been used
- For tick bites, 1200 mg of garlic taken daily for 8 weeks has been used
- For fungal skin infections, garlic cream or gel applied twice daily for one week has been used
Garlic Capsule Side Effects & Contraindications
Although garlic is a pretty safe medicinal herb you always have to be aware of any potential side effects or when taking a garlic product may not be the best decision for you. The main side effects you could experience taking garlic are minor digestive issues, heartburn, and the notorious odor that garlic gives off. As always, please consult with your doctor before taking any medical product.
Potential Side Effects:
- Bad breath and body odor
- Gastrointestinal disturbances like diarrhea or gas
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Contraindications:
- Those who are allergic to garlic
- Those taking Warfarin if using a high dose of garlic
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding if using large amounts
- Bleeding disorders
- Large doses in children
- During surgery
What Should I Look for When Choosing a Garlic Supplement?
Before purchasing a garlic pill, it is important to first recognize the differences between the types of garlic that are commercially available, and the chemical contents present within the supplement that will either be beneficial or virtually useless for the health issue you are looking to treat.
REMEMBER: Allicin is the most important factor of garlic’s medicinal value, therefore its defined content in garlic capsules must be sufficient to provide you with the health benefits you are looking for!
| TYPE OF GARLIC | WHAT IT CONTAINS |
| Fresh Garlic |
|
| Garlic Powder |
|
| Allicin powder extract |
|
| Aged Garlic Extract |
|
| Distilled Garlic Oil |
|
| Oil Macerates |
|
Garlic FAQ’s
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How many garlic pills should I take a day?
- It is advised to take from 300mg to 1200mg of garlic per day for issues like diabetes, high cholesterol, and infections.
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Are garlic capsules as good as fresh garlic?
- If a garlic product contains a stabilized form of Allicin in a sufficient quantity they can be just as effective as raw garlic. Allicin is the active medicinal component in garlic and this component needs to be activated for efficacy. Some garlic pills do not contain stabilized allicin which is why it’s important to find a quality researched product.
-
What are the side effects of taking garlic?
- Potential side effects of taking garlic in food or pills can include unpleasant breath or body odor, heartburn, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and gas.
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Are garlic pills bad for you?
- Garlic is not known to be bad for you. Garlic has many potential health benefits including helping with blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, having antioxidant effects, and reducing the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
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Can garlic pills cause constipation?
- Garlic capsules are not proven to cause constipation but they can potentially have gastrointestinal side effects such as gas, diarrhea, and nausea.
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How long does garlic stay in your system?
- Garlic is estimated to stay in your system from between 24-48 hours or 1-2 days.
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How can I take garlic without it smelling?
- In order to take garlic without smelling it is suggested to take it with a fat such as olive oil or avocado, drink green tea, mint tea, or cinnamon tea after consumption, or have some lemon or apple to neutralize the odors.
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What time of day is best to take a garlic supplement?
- The best time to take a garlic supplement is at 11 am and 6 pm in divided doses, although, the specific time doesn’t necessarily matter as long as you get the required dose.
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What is the best garlic supplement to buy?
- In our opinion, the best garlic pill to buy is Allimed which contains 450 mg of stabilized Allicin which is the important medicinal compound found in garlic. This is the supplement with the highest and best quality of Allicin for health purposes.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for the best garlic pill on the market that will get you real results you need to check out a product with stabilized allicin, such as Allimed.
This product is used by numerous doctors for different medical issues. It’s the only garlic product on the market with proven efficacy and a high amount of stabilized allicin.
Don’t waste money on ineffective garlic formulas without stabilized allicin. Get a quality, therapeutic grade product with allicin.
