Aged Garlic Extract: Blood Pressure Trials and Safety
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Aged Garlic Extract: half-life, strengths and approval status

Amounts studied · Approval status · Half-life notes

What is aged garlic extract?

Aged garlic extract is a garlic supplement made by aging garlic, standardized to the compound S-allylcysteine. Garlic supplements are used for cholesterol, blood pressure and heart health, and aged garlic extract has been tested in people with high blood pressure.

Also known as: AGE, Kyolic, garlic supplement, S-allylcysteine.

Amounts studied

Garlic has no intake value or upper limit. The 2013 trial (Ried) used 240, 480 or 960 mg a day of aged garlic extract (0.6, 1.2 or 2.4 mg S-allylcysteine) for 12 weeks; the 2016 trial used 1.2 g a day (1.2 mg S-allylcysteine). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.

Approval status and how it is used

It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.

For garlic supplements in general, NCCIH says they may lower total and LDL cholesterol slightly in people with high cholesterol, and limited evidence suggests a small drop in blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. In a 12-week trial of 79 people whose blood pressure stayed high despite medicine (Ried 2013), the 480 mg dose lowered systolic pressure by about 11.8 mmHg more than placebo; the other doses did not clearly differ. In a second 12-week trial of 88 people (Ried 2016), 1.2 g a day lowered systolic pressure by about 5 mmHg compared with placebo.

Safety, per NCCIH: side effects of garlic by mouth include breath and body odor, stomach pain, gas and nausea, and some people are allergic. Garlic supplements may raise the risk of bleeding, so tell your clinicians, especially before surgery or if you take anticoagulants or aspirin. (In the 2016 trial, aged garlic extract did not raise bleeding risk in people on blood thinners.) Garlic in amounts above food may not be safe in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Aged garlic extract half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeNot listed
  • Time to peak (Tmax)Not listed

We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for aged garlic extract that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.

How to track aged garlic extract in Dose Track

  1. Add aged garlic extract as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Log each dose when you take it so your history shows exactly what you took and when.
  3. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  4. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the half-life of aged garlic extract?+
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for aged garlic extract that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
Does aged garlic extract lower blood pressure?+
Two small 12-week trials in people with uncontrolled high blood pressure found drops of about 5 to 12 mmHg systolic compared with placebo, on top of their usual medicine. NCCIH says the evidence for garlic and blood pressure is limited. Do not stop prescribed medicine.
Does garlic thin the blood?+
NCCIH says garlic supplements may increase the risk of bleeding, so tell your clinicians, especially before surgery or if you take anticoagulants or aspirin.
Can I track aged garlic extract in Dose Track?+
Yes. Aged garlic extract is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each dose next to your other compounds, set reminders on your own schedule, and see your history next to your lab results. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Garlic (updated February 2025).
  2. Ried K, et al. Aged garlic extract reduces blood pressure in hypertensives: a dose-response trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013;67(1):64-70.
  3. Ried K, et al. The effect of aged garlic extract on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors in uncontrolled hypertensives: the AGE at Heart trial. Integr Blood Press Control. 2016;9:9-21.
  4. FDA. Questions and answers on dietary supplements.

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