Adding the best garlic supplement to your diet is one way to ensure you're giving your body all the potential benefits garlic has to offer each day.
Like bitter orange as a supplement, garlic is an ingredient that has been used for thousands of years in medicine and sports due to its perceived health benefits. Today though, garlic is more commonly linked to reducing fatigue, fighting illness, and improving cardiovascular health.
So, to help you learn a little bit more about garlic and kick off your search for it as a supplement in the best way possible, we've put together a list of our top picks based on price, ingredients, customer reviews, and any other features that we think make them worth considering.
We've made sure to include a variety of different forms, like capsules and liquids, to ensure, whatever your preference, we've got you covered.
With this in mind, if it's some pure garlic capsules you're after, like these Sports Research Garlic Oil Pills, or you're seeking garlic in oil form, like Herb Pharm Garlic Liquid Extract, then our list is here to help.
We've also answered some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding garlic, like whether it's safe to consume and how much you should take in a day, to help you decide whether garlic is the right supplement for your diet. Before that though, here's our list of top picks...
Best garlic supplement
- Best pure garlic supplement - Puritan's Pride Odorless Garlic Rapid Release Softgels
- Best softgel garlic supplement - Sports Research Odorless Garlic Oil Pills
- Best garlic supplement oil - Herb Pharm Certified Organic Garlic Liquid Extract
- Best vegan garlic supplement - Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract Formula 250
- Best extra strong garlic supplement - NaturaLife Labs Odorless Pure Garlic
Best pure garlic supplement - Puritan's Pride Odorless Garlic Rapid Release Softgels
We're kicking things off with Puritan's Pride Odorless Garlic Softgels as we believe they're some of the best pure garlic capsules on the market.
Each rapid-release softgel tablet contains 10mg of odourless garlic extract (allium sativum), which is great if you dislike the strong taste of garlic generally, in a 100:1 ratio. This gives you the equivalent of a 1,000mg garlic bulb in just one tiny capsule.
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Moreover, the softgels contain no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners, preservatives, sugar, or gluten, and they're even sodium-free, hence why we believe they're one of the purest garlic supplements around right now.
With Puritan's Pride also recommending just one of the 250 capsules a day, we'd argue these softgels are great value for money.
Best softgel garlic supplement - Sports Research Odorless Garlic Oil Pills
Continuing with softgels and the slightly more packed Sports Research Odorless Garlic Oil Pills.
Unlike Puritan's Pride, these tablets contain parsley oil and chlorophyll as well as garlic oil, making it a more ingredient-dense supplement to consider. These additional ingredients are designed to complement the garlic, with parsley containing antioxidants and chlorophyll linked to improving your immune system.
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That doesn't mean you're missing out on all the potential health benefits of garlic though. Each capsule contains the equivalent of 1,000mg of fresh garlic, meaning you should notice some of the associated benefits like reduced fatigue in a relatively short period of time.
It's also worth noting that the capsules are third-party tested, contain no GMO ingredients, are gluten-free, and are suitable for vegans, making them a well-rounded softgel option to consider in our books.
Best garlic supplement oil - Herb Pharm Certified Organic Garlic Liquid Extract
Garlic supplements don't just come as tablets. You can also pick up garlic in liquid form as evidenced by Herb Pharm's Garlic Liquid Extract.
The benefit of garlic in this state is that you're getting pure bulb extract. Therefore, each 0.7ml serving contains 673mg of allium sativum, making it a great option for those looking to max. out their daily garlic intake.
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Herb Pharm recommends simply adding a pipette of the extract to water or juice and you should be good to go.
The formula is relatively pure as well, with the only ingredients being garlic extract and cane alcohol. As a result, Herb Pharm's Garlic Liquid Extract is free from gluten, GMOs, and is completely organic.
Best vegan garlic supplement - Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract Formula 250
If it's a vegan supplement you're after though, then Kyolic's Aged Garlic Extract Formula 250 might be for you.
The supplement is designed to support your cardiovascular health as well as your circulation without any additional herbal ingredients. To do this, Kyolic packs 1,000m of aged garlic extract into one capsule to maximise your intake.
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Being odourless, you shouldn't notice any unwanted taste in your mouth after swallowing a garlic capsule, and they may even be more gentle on the stomach as a result.
Ultimately, we feel there's a lot to like about these garlic capsules, especially if you're looking for something to adhere to your plant-based diet.
Best extra strong garlic supplement - NaturaLife Labs Odorless Pure Garlic
We've highlighted some potent garlic supplements so far; however, none boast quite as high numbers as NaturaLife Labs Odorless Pure Garlic capsules.
Per two softgel tablets, you get an impressive 30mg of odourless garlic extract. However, due to the 100:1 ratio, this equates to 3,000mg of a fresh garlic bulb.
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Therefore, this is one seriously strong supplement, so might be best suited to someone who's absolutely sure garlic is right for them.
NaturaLife Labs also boasts its capsules contain no fillers, magnesium stearate, dioxides, preservatives, or gluten, and are also made in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices, giving you a little extra peace of mind if you're considering adding these Odorless Pure Garlic capsules to your diet.
Frequently asked questions about garlic supplements
Finding the right supplements can often lead to a lot of questions. Don't worry though because we've answered some of the most frequently asked queries surrounding garlic supplements right here.
What do garlic supplements do?
Richard Rivlin wrote in The Journal Of Nutrition that the Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed garlic for respiratory problems, parasites, poor digestion, and fatigue. In fact, the original Olympic athletes were said to once use garlic as a 'performance enhancing' agent, but why is this the case?
Well, garlic has been linked to reducing fatigue. One study by Kyung A Hwang et al. using rodents found that low-temperature-aged garlic improved exercise performance and, as a result, may be an effective pharmacological anti-fatigue agent like some of the best creatine supplements around.
The potential benefits, however, don't stop there. Garlic has also been linked to protecting against illness, specifically the common cold. A large 12-week study by Josling supports this as they found consuming a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% compared to the study's placebo group.
Moreover, garlic is connected to improving your cardiovascular health. Several studies, including one of particular note by Ried et al., have demonstrated garlic supplements reduce blood pressure in those who are predisposed to the condition. Research has also found garlic to lower LDL cholesterol.
As a result, we feel garlic supplements are worth considering due to the sheer number of potential health benefits associated with adding garlic to your diet.
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How much garlic should you consume in a day?
How many garlic capsules or how much garlic you should consume in a day will vary from person to person depending on several biological factors such as size and sex.
However, according to Ellen Tattelman writing for the American Family Physician, the general recommended allowance for adults is around 4g of raw garlic per day, one 300mg dried garlic powder tablet two to three times per day, or 7.2g of aged garlic extract per day.
Tattelman does also state that the effective dosage of garlic has not been determined in literature. Therefore, these specific quantities may not prove effective for everyone.
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When should you take garlic supplements?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the best time to take most vitamins and supplements is on an empty stomach with a glass of water.
This should help ensure your body absorb and metabolise them, thus allowing the garlic to take effect a little quicker.
That said, if you find taking garlic supplements without food upsets your stomach, then you can still take them whilst you're full, they just might take longer to kick in.
Ultimately, our main advice would be to pick a time or times that suit you and your stomach and stick to it each day to ensure your body is receiving a consistent amount of the supplement.
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Are garlic supplements safe?
The NCCIH says garlic is probably safe for most people in the amounts usually eaten in foods; however, little is known about whether garlic is safe to consume as a supplement.
However, several studies indicate garlic supplements to be safe, with the most commonly reported issues being bad breath, taste, and/or body odour. There is research to suggest garlic supplements may upset your stomach, but complaints, in general, seem relatively minor.
If you're on any blood thinning medication though, it's advised by the NCCIH that you speak to a doctor before taking any garlic supplements as garlic has been linked to an increased risk of bleeding.