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Home > Herbs A - Z > Ginkgo Biloba
Home > Herbs A-Z > Ginkgo Biloba
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Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba enhanced circulation in the brain includes improved short and long term memory, increased reaction time and improved mental clarity. Ginkgo Biloba is often used to treat elderly persons with Alzheimer's and other symptoms of cerebral insufficiency. Cerebral insufficiency is a general term for a collection of symptoms that include difficulties of concentration and memory, absentmindedness, confusion, lack of energy, depressive mood, anxiety, dizziness, tinnitus, and headache. Ginkgo Biloba has been used to relieve tension and anxiety and improve mental alertness, elevate mood and restore energy. Ginkgo Biloba may also help control the cholesterol to the prevent hardening of arteries, and can relax constricted blood vessels.
Ginkgo Biloba has been used in treatment of other circulation-related disorders such as diabetic peripheral vascular disease, Raynaud's syndrome, hemorrhoids and varicose veins. It can also aid in the treatment of insufficient circulation and complications of stroke and skull injuries. Taking Ginkgo Biloba for a long period of time can also benefit the treatment of eye and ear disorders.
The ginkgo tree, Ginkgo biloba L., is the last remaining member of the Ginkgoaceae, a family that once numbered many species. Having survived unchanged in China for more than 200 million years, ginkgo was brought to Europe in 1730 and since then has become a popular ornamental tree in parks and gardens throughout the world. Because of its hardiness, it even thrives along the heavily trafficked streets of some of our major cities. Ginkgo's fleshy seeds have been valued in China for their medicinal properties since 2800 B.C., but it is only in the last forty years that the leaves of this living fossil have been utilized extensively in Western medicine. Unlike many of the herbs in use today, ginkgo leaves are not used so much in their crude state as in the form of a concentrated, standardized ginkgo biloba extract (GBE). This extract has become a very popular medication in Europe, where it is widely used for its beneficial effects on the circulatory system. In fact, during 1988, physicians in Germany wrote more prescriptions (5.4 million) for GBE than for any other medication. It is also available there as an over-the-counter (OTC) medication.
GBE is produced from green-picked leaves grown on plantations in the United States, France, Japan, and South Korea that have been specifically developed for pharmaceutical purposes. After drying and milling, the leaves are extracted with an acetone-water mixture under partial vacuum. The organic solvent is then removed and the extract processed, dried, and standardized. GBE is then adjusted to a potency of 24 percent flavonoids (mostly flavonoid glycosides and quercetin) and 6 percent terpenes (principally a unique group of diterpenes known as ginkgolides, composed of 2.9 percent bilobalide and 3.1 percent ginkgolides A, B, C, and J). In the extraction process, other constituents are removed including ginkgolic acid, an allergen. The product is marketed in both solid and liquid form; each tablet or capsule usually contains 40 mg of the extract.
There is an impressive body of literature attesting to the effectiveness of GBE in treating ailments associated with decreased cerebral blood flow, particularly in geriatric patients. These conditions include short-term memory loss, headache, tinnitus, depression, and the like. Clinical and pharmacological studies have shown that GBE promotes vasodilation and improved blood flow both in the arteries and capillaries. There are also indications that it is an effective free-radical scavenger. Large doses are required, which explains why a concentrate is used rather than the herb itself. GBE does reduce the clotting time of blood, which may be of concern to those already taking anticoagulants. Very large doses may cause restlessness, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and other unpleasant effects, usually of a relatively mild nature. If these occur, cease taking the medication or reduce the dosage.
Ginkgo Biloba is one of the most popular botanical medicines in both Europe and America, but Chinese healers take the prize. They have been using this ancient tree for thousands of years to treat asthma and cold injury to fingers and toes, as well as to aid memory. The roasted seeds were traditionally used in China and Japan for indigestion and intoxication. Getting the seeds to roast required care and knowledge, however, because the fruit smells bad and causes a nasty rash. Current ginkgo formulations are based on an extract of the leaves picked in the fall, when the concentration of the active ingredients is highest. Ginkgo leaves, like most plant products, contain a complicated mix of compounds. At least forty different flavonoids have been identified, as well as flavonols such as quercitin and kaempferol. Standardized extracts contain between 22 and 27 percent of such flavonol glycosides. The best studied of these, an extract produced by a German-French consortium, is standardized to 24 percent flavonol glycosides. In addition, there are terpene compounds that have been named bilobalide and ginkgolides A, B, C, J, and M, with ginkgolide B perhaps the most active. A standardized extract should contain 6 to 7 percent of these terpene lactones.
Ginkgo is the oldest living species of tree, having survived for 200 million years, and is known as a living fossil. One tree can live as long as 1,000 years -and interestingly this fascinating tree impart these qualities of longevity to humans. The leaves retard the aging process in the circulatory system and thus affect the arteries, capillaries, veins and heart. Ginkgo improves blood flow through the arteries to the brain, alleviating vertigo, tinnitus, short-term memory loss, headaches, depression, poor concentration and other age-related disorders. Ginkgo has been shown to improve neural transmission in the brain, making it a good remedy for degenerative senility . Ginkgo also improves circulation throughout the body, useful particularly for elderly people who feel the cold in their extremities. Ginkgo helps stop blood clotting and acts as an antioxidant, and a free radical scavenger, and makes an excellent medicine for arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, angina and to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Ginkgo has been seen to improve visual acuity, hearing, balance, mood, varicose veins, ulcers and hemorrhoids. Ginkgo can also be used externally for hemorrhoids, varicose veins and ulcers. The seeds (Bai gou) are used in Chinese medicine for asthma and chesty coughs associated with thick phlegm. They act as a tonic to the kidneys and bladder and have been used for incontinence and excessive urination.
GINKGO USES
Chinese herbal medicine - Ginkgo seeds are used to relieve wheezing and to lessen phlegm. They are also given to treat vaginal discharge, a weak bladder, and incontinence. The leaves are traditionally used for treating asthma.
Western herbal medicine - Western interest in ginkgo has concentrated on the remarkable ability of the leaves to improve the circulation, especially poor circulation to the brain, and the herb's antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory actions, which make it a particularly useful remedy for the treatment of asthma. Ginkgo is the best selling herbal medicine in France and Germany, where it is taken daily by millions of people from middle age onward to maintain and improve cerebral circulation and the memory and to reduce the possibility of a stroke. Ginkgo is probably one of the most useful herbs for the treatment of senile dementia.
Other medical uses - Altitude sickness, Diabetic retinopathy.
HABITAT AND CULTIVATION
Native to China and possibly to Japan, ginkgo trees are grown on large plantations in China, France, and South Carolina. They produce green to yellow fan-shaped leaves with radiating veins, and round fruits about 1 in (3 cm) across that contain a single seed. The leaves and fruit are harvested in autumn.
GINKGO RESEARCH
Circulation - Extensive research since the 1960s has established the importance of ginkgo in improving poor cerebral circulation, aiding memory and concentration, and helping in cases of dementia.
Anti-inflammatory action - Ginkgo's ability to reduce inflammation may make it valuable in the future for conditions as varied as autoimmune problems, multiple sclerosis, and organ transplants.
Platelet activating factor - Research into ginkgo has led to the understanding of a new branch of human physiology. Ginkgo inhibits platelet activating factor (PAF), a substance released by a range of blood cells. PAF causes the blood to become stickier and therefore more likely to produce blood clots, and it also makes various inflammatory and allergenic changes take place.
CONSTITUENTS
Ginkgo contains lignans; the ginkgolides (A, B and C), flavonoids, terpenes, essential oil, tannins.
HOW MUCH TO TAKE
Many people take 120-160 mg of GBE, standardized to contain 6% terpene lactones and 24% flavone glycosides, two to three times per day; Amounts up to 240 mg per day are used by some people with cerebrovascular insufficiency, confusion and memory loss, and resistant depression. GBE may need to be taken for six to eight weeks before desired effects are noticed. Ginkgo may also be taken as a tincture of 0.5 ml three times daily
SIDE EFFECTS AND CAUTIONS
Ginkgo biloba extract is essentially devoid of any serious side effects. Mild headaches lasting for a day or two and mild upset stomach have been reported in a very small percentage of people using GBE. There are no known contra indications to the use of GBE by pregnant and lactating women. It is important to remember that circulatory conditions in the elderly can involve serious disease. Individuals should seek proper medical care and accurate medical diagnosis prior to self-prescribing GBE.
HOW IT WORKS IN THE BODY
The ginkgolides, especially B, work as a platelet activating factor (PAF) antagonist. PAF is involved in initiating both allergic and inflammatory reactions, and in particular asthma. The flavonoid portion is the agent thought to improve circulation to the brain.
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