Swanson Kyoto 100% Natural Japanese Aged Black Garlic, 30 Capsules, ITEM-RE-003800:UK-Label

Great product

I've taken some of these capsules but I will mainly only take these when I get a cold or want to ward off an illness as that is primarily what I use garlic caps for. I had never heard of black garlic before taking these, so looked into how it is different and why it's more expensive.Apparently black garlic is achieved by fermenting white garlic under ideal conditions for a certain amount of time. Black garlic has more antioxidants in with a similar amount of allicin, but contains a compound called S-Allycysteine (SAC) which makes the allicin more available and easier to absorb into the body. Apparently the fact is is easier to absorb also means that this type of garlic of less hard on the digestive system. Garlic is a FODMAP and so it can make me very bloated even though I love it so I was curious to see if this was less offensive.Although supposedly black garlic is meant to be odourless the caps do have a faint taste/smell of garlic. They are easy to swallow and look pretty remarkable, with little dark specks inside. They are about the same length of a 10p piece. The caps I believe are gelatin so are not vegetarian, so bear this in mind.As to how it makes me feel, I do feel like it has helped me keep a cold at bay by taking the recommended dose of one a day for a couple of days as soon as symptoms appear. I haven't had any gastric bloating or upset, but did get a bit of acid reflux but I changed it to have it in the morning rather than with my evening meal and this fixed this issue as I get reflux at night when I lie down.Overall I'm impressed with the quality and the claims around black garlic. It's hard to tell whether this is better than normal garlic but it certainly doesn't make my stomach cramp so I definitely rate it for people sensitive to garlic. It's expensive but considering the health benefits I'd say it's worth it for a supplement you take as and when you need an immune boost.

I’ve now had quite a few different Swanson Vitamins & Supplements to try and have found them all to be off good quality, but not always the best value.Garlic contains Polyphenols which are a category of plant compounds that offer various health benefits. Regularly consuming polyphenols is thought to boost digestion and brain health, as well as protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers.These come in a smallish plastic container with a screw-top lid. When you unscrew the cap, there's a foil seal that need to be removed – they do smell of garlic (some don’t)Inside, you get 30 x 650mg capsules, that, if you follow the directions, will last about a month. The capsules are larger than normal paracetamol/Ibuprofen ones but are smooth and easy to swallow. They do contain gelatine, so not suitable for certain diets.When reviewing any vitamin or supplement, it is difficult to say whether they work. As in most cases, the benefits are internal and not obvious. They will also vary from one person to the next.In terms of value, you need to consider the amount of Garlic/Polyphenols in each capsule and quantity of capsules. As I am not aware of the price at this point, I’m unable to comment on value for money. You can get 120 x 5000mg garlic capsules on Amazon for £10.79. So, this gives a good benchmark to compare against.I hope you found this review & photos interesting, informative and useful.

I received this item through the Amazon Vine programme. Garlic, in it's various forms, is one of those food supplements that tends to polarise opinion: either you think it benefits you greatly or you don't like it at all.I think it is a benefit, along with other things, in developing resistance to winter ailments and infections particularly and overall good health generally, and that is why I take it regularly. However I have not encountered this particular product before.The standard sized capsules are Gelatine, so not suitable for vegetarians/vegans, something I found surprising.There is no noticeable odour or taste of Garlic either on the capsules or on your breath after taking them.The claim of this product is that it contains ten times the active ingredient of standard Garlic, something I have no means of measuring, but it does mean that these capsules are one-a-day, which is a good thing.I would like to have seen the product in a glass (recyclable) bottle rather than yet more plastic!Currently retailing at £21.50 for 30 capsules they are rather expensive: a search of Amazon's pages will show similar products for around two-thirds the price.In conclusion, this is a welcome addition to the range of products available and of a good form and strength. However it is rather pricey and really needs to be in vegetarian friendly capsules these days. Four stars.

I have used a garlic supplement called ALLICINMAX which contains only the active ingredient of garlic and so is very potent, effective and low cost compared to this Swanson product. The problem I have have had with Swanson is that they can produce good products, but when compared to their competitors they can offer poor value. Whilst there is no denying this Swanson product is not exactly the same as Allicimax, it is very similar in what it does. Protects the heart, may reduce cholesterol and can act as one of natures strongest antibiotics. I cannot justify the massive premium for this aged garlic over the Allicinmax product, especially when you can buy it 3 for 2 at a certain High Street chain. Whilst the Swanson product is of great quality, its price is far too high compared to other products on the market.