How effective a blood thinner is aged garlic extract? Aged garlic extract (AGE) is sometimes described as a natural blood thinner.
But that description can be misleading.
It doesn’t work like prescription anticoagulants such as warfarin.
Instead, research suggests that AGE has antiplatelet effects, meaning it can make platelets less likely to clump together.
In a 13-week human study, 5 mL of AGE daily significantly reduced a specific type of platelet aggregation or clumping together.
The researchers found that both the amount of aggregation and its initial rate decreased after supplementation (Rahman et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 2000).
Another randomized, double-blind study looked at different doses of AGE in 34 healthy people.
The researchers found modest effects on platelet aggregation, while platelet adhesion or sticking together was reduced in several laboratory tests.
The effects varied according to the dose and the substance used to stimulate the platelets (Steiner et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 2001).
So how strong is the effect of blood thinning?
The evidence suggests that AGE can influence platelet function, but it has not been established as a substitute for a medical blood thinner.
Most of the human research has measured laboratory markers of platelet activity rather than whether AGE prevents heart attacks, strokes or blood clots.
There is also some research about combining AGE with warfarin.
In a small randomized trial, 48 people completed 12 weeks of treatment with AGE or placebo while taking warfarin.
The researchers found no increase in hemorrhaging with AGE, although the study was small and involved closely monitored patients (Macan et al, The Journal of Nutrition, 2006).
Overall, aged garlic extract appears to have a measurable but relatively modest antiplatelet effect.
Calling it a “blood thinner” without explaining that distinction can make its effects sound stronger than the human evidence actually shows.
Research has also reported antiplatelet effects from tomatoes, grapes, cacao, kiwifruit, flaxseed, ginkgo and other plant foods.
These effects involve platelet function rather than making these foods equivalent to prescription blood thinners.
