EFFECTS OF GARLIC COATED TABLETS IN PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL OCCLUSIVE DISEASE

For the first time, a weak clinical efficacy of a 12-week therapy with garlic powder (daily dose, 800 mg) is demonstrated in patients with p eripheral arterial occlusive disease stage II. The increase in walking distance in the verum group by 46 m (from 161.0 +/- 65.1 to 207.1 +/- 8 5.0 m) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than in the placebo group (by 31 m, from 172.0 +/- 60.9 to 203.1 +/- 72.8). Both groups received physical therapy twice a week, The diastolic blood pressure, spontane ous thrombocyte aggregation, plasma viscosity, and cholesterol concent ration also decreased significantly. Body weight was maintained. It is quite interesting that the garlic-specific increase in walking distan ce did not appear to occur until the 5th week of treatment, connected with a simultaneous decrease in spontaneous thrombocyte aggregation. T herefore, garlic may be an appropriate agent especially for the long-t erm treatment of an incipient intermittent claudication.