More than 16 million Britons have high blood pressure – also called hypertension – and an even larger number are thought to suffer from the condition without knowing it. Without effective treatment, either medication or healthy lifestyle changes, such as cutting salt, losing weight and getting fit, the condition can trigger heart attacks and strokes. New research pubished in the scientific journal BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, shows, however, that a daily dose of garlic can help to lower blood pressure naturally and can be as effective as drugs. In fact, the higher a participent’s blood pressure at the beginning of the study the more it was reduced by garlic.