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What is Ginkgo Biloba? What is Ginkgo Biloba Extract or GBE?What is super water soluble ginkgo biloba extract?
In exquisite billows,
the foliage cascades
from its shrouded source in the sky;
green abundance veils the top-
dwelling place of the lone crane.
Like a dancing phoenix,
its trunk soars to the clouds,
like a coiled dragon perching on a cliff
these images reveal its hidden forces...
Description: Ginkgo Biloba P.E.Ginkgo Biloba Extract.
Family:Ginkgoaceae
Ginkgo biloba
Botanical Source:Ginkgo Biloba leaves.[Synonyms and Common names]: Maidenhair tree, Kew tree, Fossil tree,Ginkgo, Maidenhair-Tree, Bai Guo.
Synonyms:Ginkgo Biloba Leaf PE,Ginkgo Biloba Leaves PE,Ginkgo Biloba Leaves Pwd,Ginkgo Extract,Ginkgo Biloba Standardized Extract,Ginkgo Leaf pe,etc.
Botanical Synoms:aidenhair Tree Leaves(English), Ginkgo biloba L.(Latin),L'extrait de Ginkgoac¨¦es solubilis¨¦(French),echter Ginkgobaum(Germany).
Plant Part Used: Leaves
Actions: platelet activating factor antagonist, circulatory stimulant and tonic, anti-asthmatic, antispasmodic, antiallergenic, anti-inflammatory.
Collection: The leaves are harvested in summer and autumn; the ripe seeds are collected and dried in autumn. After the shells of the seeds have been broken, the seeds are removed and pounded into pieces.
Extract Solubility For Common type Ginkgo Biloba Extract:Partly Soluble in water, partly soluble in Ethanol.
Extract Solubility For Water Soluble type Ginkgo Biloba Extract:Excellent solubility in cold water.
What is Water soluble Ginkgo Biloba Extract?
Difference between cold water solubel Ginkgo Biloba Extract.GBe.and common Ginkgo Biloba Extract.GBe.:
Cold water solubel GBe bring large revolution in GBe family.It's the change generation intermediate of ginkgo biloba extract.
The characteristic as follows:
*>1.ginkgolic acid lower than 5ppm or 1ppm;
*>2.excellent solubility in cold water;
*>3.solution is clarity and limpidity;
*>4.officinal ingredient equilibria;
Usages&Application General of 100%Water Soluble Ginkgo Biloba Extracts:
best material for injection, drop, oral liquid and other drugs,
best material for health care food;
best material for nutritional suppliment and liquid;
best material for functional cosmetic base material.
What is 100% Water Soluble Ginkgo Biloba Extract?
100% Water Soluble Ginkgo Biloba Extracts invented and developed solely by Dr.James Zhang since year 1998 and the Greatest Grade come into reality at middle of year 2003,....This creation bring a big breakthrough and lead the Ginkgo Biloba Extracts Spectrum into a New era..................
Definition of MDidea 100% Water Solubility Standard: we set seriously as standard of MDidea Group as following for our latest developed 100% water soluble Ginkgo biloba P.E. for commonly knowledge and publicity:
Excellent solubility in cold water and normal temperature(No less than 1grams dry powder in 10ml cold water),Solution is clarity and limpidity,officinal ingredient equilibria. No tannins and protein content.
Difference between 100% Water Soluble Ginkgo Biloba P.E. from MDidea Group and Common water soluble Ginkgo biloba P.E.:
MDidea100% Water Soluble Ginkgo Biloba P.E. proved advantages from common soluble ginkgo biloba P.e.
1.low acid:ginkgo acid strictly lower than 1~5PPM;satisfy our customer.
2.100%water soluble:According to MDIDEA 100% Water Solubility Standard Strictly.
3.solution is clarity and limpidity:MDIDEA100% Water Soluble Ginkgo Biloba P.E. proved the best from many comparative experiment compare with other source of powder with the name of "water soluble ginkgo biloba p.e.".
4.officinal ingredient equilibria:process and provide strictly MDidea100% water soluble GBE.24,6 Type,MDIDEA100% water soluble GBE.30,10 Type,super advanced procedure from MDidea Group Lab Center owes such kind of best quality creature for our professional customer.
What is Ginkgo Biloba P.E. MDidea Full Spectrum? latest list of MDidea Full Spectrum GBE.
Ginkgo Biloba P.E.Full Spectrum here we defined seriously and ref to as the professional Ginkgo Biloba Standard Powder Extracts processed via MDidea Group,including:Ginkgo Biloba P.E.24/6(GBE24/6),Ginkgo Biloba P.E.24/6(1ppm/5ppm),Ginkgo Biloba P.E.24/6(100%WS)(1ppm~5ppm),Ginkgo Biloba P.E.24/6 1ppm CP2000(GBE24/6,1ppm,CP)
,Ginkgo Biloba P.E.30/10(100%WS)(1ppm/5ppm).
Common type and common low acid type bulk on stock and good price in stable quality.
100% Water Soluble type Newly developed and processed strictly for order, availibility 50kgs monthly recently,price negotiable,quality stable.
Ginkgo Biloba comes from the Ginkgo tree, and is one of the oldest living tree species. The Ginkgo tree has been around fro 150 to 200 million years. The Chinese have used Ginkgo for thousands of years for various ailments. Ginkgo Biloba was first introduced to Europe in the 1700's, and is now used all over the world. Ginkgo Biloba is one of the most researched herbs.
The Chinese have used Ginkgo Biloba to relief asthma, lung congestion, and have also used Ginkgo Biloba to increase sexual energy, regulate blood flow, and promote general longevity.
Ginkgo Biloba - How does it work?Ginkgo Biloba Extract.
Ginkgo Biloba,Ginkgo Biloba Extract works by increasing blood flow to the brain, and through the entire body's network of blood vessels,which supplies oxygen and nutrients. Good blood circulation is essential for good health - better blood circulation promotes general longevity, and helps to keep you healthy.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract has 2 groups of active components - flavonoids and terpene lactones including Ginkgolides A, B, and C, bilobalide, quercetin, and kaempferol. The Ginkgolides help control allergic inflammation and asthma. Ginkgo Biloba also acts as a powerful antioxidant, and helps kill the free radicals, which contributes to aging.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract is well recognized for its positive effect on brain functioning - enhancing memory, mental alertness, and reducing mental fatigue and lack of energy. As Ginkgo works as a brain enhancer, it has obvious benefits for individuals who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Even for a healthy person, Ginkgo Biloba can help improve brain function by preventing and treating conditions of cerebral vascular deficiencies, where there's decreased flow of blood to the brain.
Ginkgo Biloba,Ginkgo Biloba Extract Benefits a brain enhancer, it has obvious benefits for individuals who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Even for a healthy person, Ginkgo Biloba can help improve brain function by preventing and treating conditions of cerebral vascular deficiencies, where there's decreased flow of blood to the brain.
Archeology of Ginkgo Biloba and narrative history.
Native to China, the trees are now grown on large plantations in France and South Carolina, as well as China. Ginkgo is a very slow-growing, hardy tree whose fossil records date back some 200 million years. Growing to a height of 50 to 120 feet, the trunk of the Ginkgo is light green to light brown with corky fissures. In the male trees, the grooves in the bark are broad, while in the females, they are pointed. Both have green, leathery fan-shaped leaves that turn yellow to golden in the fall.
The tree flowers for the first time when it is between twenty and thirty years old. The male flowers are small, green catkins, while the female flowers are small, green, and globular-shaped, which form into small, plum-shaped, foul-smelling fruits. The tree grows in fertile, well-drained soil in sun or light shade. The leaves are harvested either mechanically or by hand from plantations or in the wild. The leaves are then dried and pressed into balls. A dry extract is manufactured from the dried leaves, using acetone and water and subsequent purification steps without the addition of concentrates or isolated ingredients.
The dioecious Ginkgo tree can reach a height of 40m in its natural habitat in Central China. It prefers rich sandy soil, and has one or several main trunks and spreading branches. The leaves are petiolate, glabrous and bilobed; each lobe is triangular, up to 6cm long and 4cm wide, with fan-like, fine, prominent radiate veins and an entire margin. The leaves turn yellow in autumn. The female trees produce a fleshy fruit with an edible kernel if there is a male tree nearby. Ginkgo is now grown on large plantations in China, France and South Carolina.
During the Ice Age, every member of the Ginkgoceae family was destroyed, except the ginkgo biloba tree -- in part, due to its extraordinary resistance to insects and disease. It has survived more than 200 million years, and is generally believed to be the oldest species on earth. Ginkgo Biloba has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years to improve circulation thereby improving the delivery of necessary nutrients and life-giving oxygen to every cell, including those of the brain.
Medical History of Ginkgo Biloba:
In 1330, the work of the officially appointed medical authority Wu Rui was written under the title Materia Medica for Daily Use (Riyong Bencao). This book detailed the medicinal properties of 540 items that could be used both as food and medicine, including the ginkgo nut. This item was a local favorite, as Wu lived near the Tian Mu Shan grove (he may have obtained ginkgo nuts from trees that still thrive there). The Materia Medica was handed down through generations of Wu's family and was finally published around 1550.
The medicinal uses of ginkgo nut were mainly involved with treatment of lung diseases. In fact, one of the famous traditional Chinese formulas for treating asthmatic breathing, Ding Chuan Tang, has ginkgo nut as a key ingredient (the original formula is sometimes called Ma-huang and Ginkgo Combination as an English designation, recognizing two of its most important ingredients). The nine ingredient decoction was first recorded in the book Exquisite Formulas for Fostering Longevity (Fu Shou Jing Fang), written by Wu Min in 1530 A.D. New versions of Ding Chuan Tang are sometimes developed for clinical use, with ginkgo nut as a prominent ingredient.
The fruit extract has been shown to strongly inhibit Mycobacterium, which is the cause of tuberculosis, one of the dominant lung ailments that has persisted in China. As has been confirmed by recent work in Germany, ginkgo contains ingredients that alleviate asthma. These ingredients, obtained from the leaf in Germany, are also present in the nuts.
Another traditional use of the ginkgo nut in China is as an astringent to treat fluid discharges. A remedy for leukorrhea is black chicken stewed with ginkgo nut and lotus seed (Baiguo Lianzi Dun Wuji). It is made by putting the herbal ingredients plus rice and black pepper in the unique black-boned chicken as a stuffing, cooking it, and then eating the combination. The recipe was recorded in Li Shizhen's Collection of Simple Prescriptions (Binhu Jijian Fang, ca. 1580 A.D.; Binhu is an alternate name for Shizhen).
Lan Mao, another Chinese herb specialist, had the first published description of medical use of ginkgo leaf in his book Dian Nan Bencao (Herbal Dictionary of Yunnan), published in 1436 A.D. He recommended topical applications of ginkgo leaf for the treatment of skin diseases.
Information about ingestion of ginkgo leaf was incorporated into a formal medical work, Compilation of Essential Items of Materia Medica in 1505. Qiu Jun, its author, specifically aimed to incorporate into his book items that had been used widely but had failed to be recorded in the previous official Materia Medicas. The book came into the hands of Liu Wentai at the Imperial Medical Office, but the work was not published until two hundred years later, and then it was all but lost, until it was recently published in 1937. After the Chinese communist revolution, the book was again all but lost. Partly as a result of this uneven path of publication, ginkgo leaf remained a folk remedy, rather than a major part of Chinese medical practice, until recently. Liu's book included a remedy for diarrhea which was made by combining ginkgo leaf powder and flour to make a bread. One of the folk remedies of more recent times is Liangye Yijiang Tang, made with ginkgo leaf, artemisia leaf, and fresh ginger, used for treating chronic bronchitis.
Modern Investigations:
Modern research on ginkgo began with chemical analysis of its active constituents in Japan during the 1920's (7, 8). The ginkgo nut contains a toxic material in the seed coat, which is stripped away when preparing it for food use, but may be retained for some medical uses. The toxic component, called ginkgotoxin, was apparently the first item investigated.
The modern work with flavonoids, the components that affect circulation in the brain, was initiated by the isolation of ginkgetin, first published by a Japanese researcher in a German journal in 1932. Additional work on isolating numerous active constituents was reported by Japanese researchers during the 1950's and thereafter, with efforts continuing to the present. One of the first Western reports of active constituents (independent of Oriental study efforts) was published in 1959 in Proceedings of the Chemical Society. However, the isolated ingredients described there were the same as those reported earlier. Virtually all these chemical investigations were done with the ginkgo leaves.
Pharmacological investigation (mainly laboratory animal studies and test tube evaluations) of ginkgo's active constituents were reported soon after the constituents were isolated. In 1930, a Japanese researcher reported on the effect of ginkgotoxin on isolated frog heart; in the same year he also reported on skin irritation caused by the extract of the whole ginkgo fruit, possibly because of his own experience of that problem. In 1950, Chinese researchers reported that the ginkgo nut and its isolated active constituents could inhibit various bacteria, including Mycobacterium, and other human and animal pathogens. European pharmacological research into ginkgo started with work that resulted in a 1966 German publication reviewing the vascular pharmacology of the herb, which was then followed up by a continual line of research to the present.
Clinical studies (human trials) with ginkgo began during the 1960's in China with studies of the leaf extract in treatment of cardiovascular diseases, an application that had been suggested by folk uses of the herb. One of the first of several reports on this subject was issued by the Beijing Coordinating Research Group on Coronary Diseases in 1971. Research on ginkgo for cardiovascular diseases was intensively pursued during the next ten years and has continued to the present. Applications of ginkgo in China include angina pectoris, heart attack, cerebrovascular spasm, and stroke; it is also used to alleviate high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Other studies demonstrated benefits of ginkgo leaf in treating chronic bronchitis, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia.
The standardized extract of ginkgo was first introduced as a therapeutic agent in Europe in 1975. European clinical trials with ginkgo were reported in Germany in 1984 and 1985 (though some preliminary experience was already accumulated before then). This research involved peripheral arterial occlusion, psycho-pharmacological effects, and hypoxia protective effects. In a major meeting on flavonoids held in New York in 1985 interest in ginkgo was not yet evident: there were no reports on this very recent finding, even though there were European reports on other important flavonoids that promote circulation. But, there was a symposium on ginkgo's effects on cerebral circulation in Germany the same year. Just 12 years later, in November 1997, an article appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) describing a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of ginkgo leaf extract in treating Alzheimer's disease.
What got ginkgo leaf into the mainstream of research was the investment by European pharmaceutical companies (a consortium of French and German manufacturers) who developed a standardized concentrated extract of ginkgo leaf given to researchers for testing and marketed to doctors. This product has since become the number one medicinal herbal remedy sold in Germany. A substantial amount of the ginkgo leaves now come from America: there is a 1,000 acre ginkgo plantation in South Carolina. The trees are stripped of leaves at the end of June, and then the leaves are dried and shipped to France for extraction.
A common standardization of the extract is a finished product that contains 24% ginkgo flavonoids (known as ginkgolides; they are glycosides of commonly occurring plant flavones). To attain this level of active ingredients requires concentrating them by about 25 times their natural levels. Frequently, but not always, a product of similar standardization is sold today in health food stores in America. With all the publicity, numerous ginkgo products have been offered, from simple powdered leaves, to highly purified active ingredients with nearly 30% flavonoid levels.
A Lession in Herbal Medicine:
This story about ginkgo briefly traces a traditional herbal remedy from an early point in its history, over 600 years ago, to the present time where it has been accepted as a plant drug in Germany and is on the verge of broader acceptance in the U.S., thanks to formal publication of clinical results in JAMA. Over the course of so many centuries, a remedy of potential value to millions has finally been raised out of the obscurity that has fettered foreign traditional medical systems for far too long.
Although the earliest visitors to China, such as Marco Polo (at the end of the 13th century), may have been awed by the civilization of China and its potential contributions to the West, during the past three centuries, Western visitors to China frequently attempted to write-off any of the cultural contributions the Chinese could make and attempted to impose its system of thought, including medicine, on China. It took Japanese researchers who published their results in the German scientific press to reveal something of what Chinese herbal medicine could offer from this plant (there is a similar story surrounding ma-huang, the source of the drugs ephedrine and psuedoephedrine). It then took a decade of German chemical, pharmacological, and clinical investigation-helped forward by the investment of a pharmaceutical consortium-to generate some interest in this valuable herb in Europe and then in the U.S. The German research post-dated similar Chinese research and made little reference to the Chinese experience and research efforts.
Perhaps as a lesson from this, we may be more open to learning from the Oriental traditional medicine and more willing to work quickly to bring forward the vast knowledge and experience of Chinese and Japanese doctors and researchers to practical applications here.
Another important lesson comes from the desire to actually use the herb once its value has been widely recognized: there may not be enough trees to satisfy world demand for the extract. Trees can be cultivated, but that takes years. Currently, about 70% of the world's ginkgo trees are in China, mainly those cultivated in Jiangsu Province in huge, dense plantations. China has recently become a supplier of ginkgo extract to America, providing an alternative to the French product that, perhaps ironically, gets its ginkgo leaves from America at higher cost.
In the case of ginkgo, there are no wild trees remaining, with the possible exception of some of the most ancient ones which might have been left in their original place. Without a wild population, the genetic diversity, and the accompanying diversity of phytochemicals, can become severely limited over time, making further medicinal developments from the plant more difficult. Therefore, it is best to uncover potentially valuable herbs early, and develop the natural resources in a timely manner, rather than waiting to the last possible moment to accept a natural remedy and then rapidly overburden the supply.
Ginkgo Biloba was not introduced into Europe until 1730.In the 1930s, Ginkgo flavonoids in the leaves were first identified.
The World's Oldest Living Tree?:
The history of this wonderful herb is a living symbol of "Life Extension" and "Cognitive Enhancement". Ginkgo biloba is literally a living fossil that has survived virtually unchanged through the various ice ages of prehistory. Some scientists estimate that it is 200 million years old, the oldest living tree species on the earth.1
Ginkgo has been transplanted all over the world and continues to thrive even under adverse conditions, demonstrating its apparent immunity to pollution, insects and disease. Ginkgo even survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, where it still grows today next to the epicenter of the explosion. Individual trees may live to as many as 2000 years or more. Ginkgo has been a mainstay of traditional Chinese medicine for more than 5000 years. Perhaps the ancient Taoist Monks had some vision of the future of Ginkgo as a brain and memory tonic when they planted it ceremonially in places of honor in their monasteries. They felt that this two lobed, fanshaped leaf (biloba) represented the two phases of Yin and Yang in Taoist Philosophy. Ginkgo was planted to portray wisdom, centeredness and a meditative state.
The Ginkgo biloba is the world's oldest living tree, a species whose existence can be traced back-over 250 million years! For this reason, the Ginkgo was referred to as living fossil (1859) by Charles Darwin. It appeared at Carboniferous. During the Jurassic, Ginkgo trees were common and widespread in Asia, Europe and America. Ginkgo survived many crises, in particular at the end of the cretaceous where the dinosaurs disappeared. But Ginkgos disappeared from America about 7 million years ago, and from Europe about 3 million years ago.
Ginkgoaceae belong to the class of the Ginkgophytes. This class constituted the link between the ferns and the angiosperms ( flowering plants ).
The last survivor Ginkgos have taken refuge in the south-east of China. The buddhist monks venerated it, and undoubtedly them its survival is owed. Regarded as guard to entreat fire, it was planted near the pagodas, in the imperial gardens in China, wood crowned of the temples.
In the late 17th century, Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716) , a German botanist, has become known as the first European to discover and categorize the Ginkgo biloba.
The oldest European ginkgo would have been sown in 1730 in the Utrecht Botanical Garden. In 1762, Ginkgo was cultivated in Kew Botanical Garden (London).
The oldest French ginkgo was sown in Montpellier in 1778. A rich person ship-owner of Montpellier could acquire a foot of Ginkgo, in England, for the extravagant sum of forty ecus. This is why, one of its vernacular names is: Tree with the forty ecus ( arbre aux quarante ¨¦cus ).
Ginkgo biloba was first brought into the United States by William Hamilton for his garden in Philadelphia in 1784. It was a favorite tree of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and made its way into city landscapes across North America.
After the Hiroshima bomb (6.8.1945), all the flora was destroyed. Nothing grew again in calcined ground. However, in spring, one regrowth spouted out: that of an old Ginkgo that had flamed. The growth was respected and encouraged. Therefore, a Ginkgo tree remains in relative healthy condition today in the temple named Hosenji located about 1 Km away from the blast center of the atomic bombing. The survival of the ginkgo is surely due to a natural immunity or a genetic advantage. It has a great resistance to the mutagen agents like the radiations.
A Natural Phytochemical Wonder:
More than one thousand scientific papers have been published worldwide to document the clinical effects of Ginkgo biloba extract and to explain its varied mechanisms of action. The scientific community now believes that the clinical benefits of this ancient herb result from a group of bioflavonoids called Ginkgo flavonglycosides and from a group of lactone terpenes called Ginkoglides which include Ginkgolide A, Ginkgolide B, Ginkgolide C and Bilobalide. It takes anywhere from 50 to 75 pounds of leaves to make one pound of the concentrated Ginkgo biloba extract (GBX). As a measure of potency, researchers have established a common standard content of 24% ginkogosides and 6% terpenes.2
This standardization process during manufacturing is critical to the effectiveness of the end product. By using a standardized product, one is assured that they are receiving this "Natural Cocktail" of phytochemical constituents, not just some ground up leaves that may, in fact, contain little, if any, of these efficacious agents.
Ginkgo Biloba Extract Secrets:
Ginkgo Biloba Extract has been used preponderantly in Chinese Medicine for over 5,000 years to treat agerelated circulation disorders, memory loss, cancer, asthma and other pulmonary diseases, impaired hearing and sexual dysfunctions, just to name a few. However, its enormous popularity did not come about until it was rediscovered by West-ern medicine some 40 years ago. Since that time, Ginkgo has become one of the most frequently prescribed medicines in Germany and France. Its popularity in the United States is nothing short of phenomenal, fueled by its demonstrable clinical benefits, rather than by the "hype" that has popularized so many herbs.
Treatment with Ginkgo biloba extract has been shown to result in improved cerebral metabolism and a reduced risk of hypoxic damage to the brain.
Over the past 30 years, more than 300 studies have show Ginkgo Biloba to provide a host of benefits for the body. Not only does Ginkgo Biloba help improve mental functioning as mentioned above, it also has a long list of other benefits:
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract works by increasing blood flow to the brain and throughout the body's network of blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the organ systems.
Ginkgo Biloba Extract increases metabolism efficiency, regulates neurotransmitters, and boosts oxygen levels in the brain which uses 20% of the body's oxygen.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract may also help control the transformation of cholesterol to plaque associated with the hardening of arteries, and can relax constricted blood vessels.
Ginkgo Biloba Extract Benefits of enhanced circulation in the brain include improved short and long term memory, increased reaction time and improved mental clarity.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract has been shown to be a supportive herb for treating infertility in males or impotence
Ginkgo Biloba,Ginkgo Biloba Extract also helps prevent damage to your organs from free radicals, and also blocks the platelet activating factor which causes some skin disorders such as psoriasis.
Ginkgo Biloba's beneficial effects on the circulatory system also helps in the treatment of eye and ear disorders.
These listed above are just some of the major benefits of Gingko Biloba.Ginkgo Biloba Extract, for more, please read on:
In order for the brain to function properly, it needs to be bathed in a constant supply of oxygen and nutrient rich blood. Any malfunction that interrupts the blood flow can have a profound effect on mental function. If allowed to occur chronically over many years due to atherosclerosis, the result is often the familiar loss of cognitive function and dementia, including memory lapses, loss of concentration, decreased intellectual ability, impaired vision, anxiety, loss of equilibrium and dizziness. Impaired blood flow can also be an underlying factor of headaches, depression, confusion and , in the most severe cases, stroke. The special bioflavonoids in Ginkgo have a stronger biological activity than most other bioflavonoids and seem to have a specific affinity for the capillary beds of the brain. Their function includes: Dilation of blood vessels resulting in improved flow of blood to and from tissues all over the body, especially the brain. Increasing the oxygen content of the blood. It has been shown that oxygen-rich blood enhances the memory. Improved cellular transmission. All neural functions of the brain are achieved by neural transmitters. These are the chemi-cals that allow one neural unit to communicate with another. The better the neural transmission, the more effectively memory and other brain functions work. Ginkgo biloba both increases the amount of neural transmission and increases the number of receptor sites for neural transmission. Again, this dramatically improves brain function.
In a random, double blind, placebo controlled German study conducted in the mid 1980s, 40 people (aged 60-80 years) diagnosed with slight to moderate dementia received either Ginkgo biloba extract or a placebo for three months. By week four, the group taking Ginkgo biloba extract was performing significantly better than the placebo control on standard clinical geriatric tests. They also showed marked improvement in their mental capacity, alertness, sociability and mood and continued to improve as the study progressed. The placebo group did not change at all over the 12 weeks of the study.
(PAF) A common trend in heart disease, strokes and peripheral vascular disease (e.g., intermittent claudication or painful walking), is the formation of blood clots (thrombosis) within the circulatory system. Underlying these clots is an excess of platelet activating factors (PAFs), which induce platelet aggregation, neutrophil degranulation and oxygen free radical production. As a result, excess PAFs are at least partly responsible for thrombosis, bronchoconstriction (as occurs in asthma), shock reaction (cardiogenic and anaphylactic) and organ transplant rejection. PAFs can be stimulated by chronic stress, a diet high in processed hydrogenated fats and exposure to allergens. Numerous studies have confirmed that Ginkgo biloba extract is an extremely effective agent for inhibiting PAFs.
Inhibiting PAFs with Ginkgo biloba extract may help some patients with asthma. Some studies have shown that PAFs play an important role in causing airway inflammation. Chinese physicians have known about the beneficial effects of Ginkgo biloba for asthma patients for thousands of years. In a preliminary trial conducted in Belgium, six out of ten children with severe asthma were found to improve "dramatically" within the first three to four days of taking Ginkgo biloba extract. Three other children improved "very substantially", but still occasionally required other therapy.
Special Note:
While studies show Ginkgo biloba extract may be effective in preventing some asthma attacks, it is probably not effective for treating an acute attack. As with any medical condition, one should consult with a health care professional for immediate relief.
Treatments with Ginkgo biloba extract have been shown to result in improved cerebral metabolism and a reduced risk of hypoxic damage to the brain.10 In a 12 week study, 24 patients hospitalized with a form of dementia due to occluded cerebral arteries were treated with Ginkgo biloba extract (120 mg/day) or a placebo. The patients treated with Ginkgo biloba extract were found to improve significantly on all measurements, including EEG finding, reaction time and concentration. Using the venous microembolic index (VMI), a measurement of platelet aggregation, the researchers found that platelet aggregration declined progressively in the treated patients from a high of 3.6 at baseline to 1.3 at week 12. There was no change in the VMI of the placebo group.
Bioflavonoids have long been considered great antioxidants, specifically for protecting the microcirculation in small blood vessels. Ginkgo is an extraordinary free radical scavenger that is particularly effective against the superoxide anion (-02 ), a dangerous free radical that has been directly or indirectly implicated in cell damage.Numerous studies have demonstrated that Ginkgo biloba extract is very effective in blocking lipid peroxidation, thus protecting cell membranes which are primarily composed of lipids.This is extremely important in brain cells which contain a higher content of lipids than any other cells in the body. Beyond brain cell protection, other clinical studies suggest a wide range of clinical benefits beyond its life enhancing antioxidants such as:
Radiation induced chromosomal damage protection.Because of its powerful effect, Ginkgo biloba extract was given to Chernobyl recovery workers. After two months, it was determined that it completely protected them from further chromosomal damage.
Ischemiainduced lipid peroxidation is one of the main factors that produces tissue damage in spinal cord injury. When Ginkgo biloba extract was given to rats subjected to experimental spinal cord injury, they were protected from the paraplegic effects of the injury to a significant degree.
Heart muscle is extremely sensitive to the lack of oxygen (ischemia) caused by heart attacks and blood vessel restrictions or clots. However, just as damaging is the sudden rush of restoration oxygen which can carry with it a rush of free-radicals, as occurs following coronary bypass surgery. Ginkgo biloba extract, because of its anti-oxidant activity, has shown its ability to protect heart tissue when exposed to these insults.
Damaged, leaking or injured delicate retinal cells is a common cause of blindness in people with diabetes and other macular problems. Numerous studies have shown that Ginkgo biloba extract reduces the susceptibility of these cells to injury.
The flavonoids found in ginkgo may help halt or lessen some retinal problems (that is, problems to the back part of the eye). Retinal damage has a number of potential causes, including diabetes and macular degeneration. Macular degeneration (often called age-related macular degeneration or ARMD) is a progressive, degenerative eye disease that tends to affect older adults and is the number one cause of blindness in the United States. Studies suggest that gingko may help preserve vision in those with ARMD.
Ginkgo is widely used in Europe for treating dementia. The reason that ginkgo is thought to be helpful for preventing or treating these brain disorders is because it improves blood flow in the brain and because of its antioxidant properties. Although many of the clinical trials have been scientifically flawed, the evidence that ginkgo may improve thinking, learning, and memory in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been highly promising.
Clinical studies suggest that ginkgo provides the following benefits for people with AD:
Improvement in thinking, learning, and memory
Improvement in activities of daily living
Improvement in social behavior
Fewer feelings of depression
As more than 300 studies demonstrate, ginkgo facilitates better blood flow through out the body, most notably the brain, where it both protects and promotes memory and mental function, even for people with Alzheimer's disease. It also offers a wealth of possibilities in the treatment of many other common ailments.
Because ginkgo.Ginkgo Biloba Extract is reputed to improve blood flow, this herb has been studied in people with intermittent claudication (pain caused by inadequate blood flow [atherosclerosis] to the legs). People with intermittent claudication have difficulty walking without suffering extreme pain. An analysis of eight published studies revealed that people taking ginkgo tend to walk roughly 34 meters farther than those taking placebo. In fact, ginkgo has been shown to be as effective as a leading medication in improving pain-free walking distance. However, regular walking exercises are more beneficial than ginkgo in improving walking distance.
Ginkgo.Ginkgo Biloba Extract is widely touted as a "brain herb" and is commonly added to nutrition bars and fruit smoothies to boost memory and enhance cognitive performance. Researchers recently reviewed all of the high-quality published studies on ginkgo and mild memory impairment (in other words, people without Alzheimer's or other form of dementia), and concluded that ginkgo was significantly more effective than placebo in enhancing memory and cognitive function. Despite the encouraging findings, some researchers speculate that more high-quality research, involving larger numbers of people, is needed before ginkgo can be recommended as a memory enhancer to otherwise healthy adults.
Given that nerve damage and certain blood vessel disorders can lead to tinnitus (the perception of ringing, hissing, or other sound in the ears or head when no external sound is present), some researchers have investigated whether ginkgo relieves symptoms of this hearing disorder. Although the quality of most studies was poor, the reviewers concluded that ginkgo moderately relieves the loudness of the tinnitus sound. However, a recent well-designed study including 1,121 people with tinnitus found that ginkgo (given 3 times daily for 3 months) was no more effective than placebo in relieving symptoms of tinnitus. Given these conflicting findings, the therapeutic value of ginkgo for tinnitus remains uncertain. In general, tinnitus is a very difficult problem to treat. Talk to your doctor about whether a trial of ginkgo to alleviate this frustrating symptom may be safe and worthwhile for you.
Patients suffering from varying degrees of vascular insufficiency also noted an improvement in mood while taking ginkgo biloba extract. This has prompted a surge of interest in its use as a treatment for depression, especially in the elderly. Many people have found GBE to enhance other depression treatments and to often even prevent the need for pharmaceutical treatments in mild cases of depression. Those under the age of fifty may also benefit from ginkgo biloba's antidepressant effects. So far though, the greatest level of improvement has been noted with older patients.
Although oxygen is essential for life, it can have adverse effects on your body. Unstable oxygen molecules can often be created during our body's normal break down and use of oxygen or can form in response to external factors and pollutants. These unstable molecules, called free radicals, can damage cells and structures within cells. If the genetic material in cells is affected and not repaired, it can replicate in new cells, contributing to cancer and other health problems. These free radicals may also weaken artery walls, allowing fatty deposits that can lead to hear disease. As an antioxidant, ginkgo biloba combats free radicals and repairs molecular damage. A great deal of research suggests that antioxidants such as GBE may play important roles in preventing or delaying heart disease, cancer and other ills. Antioxidants may even halt the damage to cells, thereby slowing the effects of aging.
Another use for ginkgo biloba is in the treatment of impotency. The main cause of male impotence is poor circulation and impaired blood flow through the penis, which is often the result of atherosclerosis. Since ginkgo biloba increases blood flow, it's been found to help up to fifty percent of patients after six months of use.
Raynaud's disease is believed to be caused by blood vessels that over react to the cold and spasm, reducing blood flow and there by depriving extremities of oxygen. Ginkgo biloba may help this condition by widening the small blood vessels, which would keep these spasms from completely blocking the blood flow.
The lack of dopamine is believed to produce the progressive stiffness, shaking and loss of muscle coordination typical in Parkinson's disease. Doctor's theorise that along with other treatments, Ginkgo biloba may help symptoms by increasing the brain's blood flow and there by allowing more of the depleted dopamine to be circulated to the areas that need it most.
Scientists continue to study the prevention and treatment benefits to stroke patients that are attributed to GBE. It's believed that by preventing blood clots from developing and increasing the blood flow to the brain, ginkgo biloba may help stop strokes from occurring. It's also believed that the herb inhibits free-radical damage of brain cells after a stroke.
GBE also appears to have an anti-inflammatory action that may make it valuable in the future for conditions such as multiple sclerosis and organ transplants.
Although Ginkgo biloba is known as one of the most important herbs for the brain, its action and benefits are not exclusively for the brain. Other uses for which ginkgo biloba extract is often recommended include depression, diabetes related nerve damage and poor circulation, allergies, vertigo, short-term memory loss, headache, atherosclerosis, tinnitus, cochlear deafness, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and PMS.
The ginkgosides it contains work as an herbal antioxidant throughout the entire body.
The microcirculation of all capillary beds throughout the body will be enhanced.
Ginkgo.Ginkgo Biloba Extract can help all organs that have a rich blood supply including the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and spleen.
Ginkgo.Ginkgo Biloba Extract has been clinically shown to provide appropriate benefit for such conditions as ringing in the ear (tinnitus), headaches, vertigo (dizziness), hearing loss, depression, allergies, atherosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetic peripheral vascular disease, eczema, glaucoma, impotency, retinitis and neuralgia, as well as the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease.19
Indicated for: Acrocyanosis, allergies, Alzheimer's & Mental Function, asthma, cerebral atherosclerosis and/or insufficiencies, cochlear deafness, cramp from walking, dementia, depression, diabetes related nerve damage and poor circulation, diabetic retinopathy, erectile function, headaches, impotency, improving circulation to the brain in the elderly, improving deafness, improving long-distance vision and possibly reversing damage to the retina, intermittent claudication, leg ulcers, macular degeneration, menopause, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, peripheral and cerebral circulatory stimulation, peripheral vascular disease, PMS, poor circulation, Raynaud's disease, senile dementia, short-term memory loss, sinusitis, strengthening memory, strokes, tender or painful breasts, thrombosis, tinnitus, varicose veins, vertigo, white finger and spontaneous bruising.
Since the 1960s, extensive research has been done on ginkgo which established its importance in improving poor cerebral circulation, aiding memory and concentration, and helping in cases of dementia.
Research has shown that ginkgolide can be as effective as standard pharmaceuticals in treating severely irregular heartbeats. It also seems to have the ability to reduce inflammation, and may prove useful in treating such varied conditions as autoimmune disorders, multiple sclerosis, and organ transplants.
Research into its platelet activating factor (PAF), a substance released by a range of blood cells, has led to the understanding of a new branch of human physiology. PAF causes blood to become stickier and more likely to produce blood clots, but Ginkgo seems to inhibit this from happening. In addition, it also makes various inflammatory and allergenic changes.
Plantations in the US process the dried leaves, creating a concentrated extract standardized to a potency of 24% flavone glycosides (primarily quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin) and 6% terpene lactones (about equal parts of bilobalide and ginkgolides A, B, and C). This extract, called GBE (ginkgo biloba extract) is the form now used medicinally and under study for active ingredients and effects.
How much Ginkgo biloba.Ginkgo Biloba Extract is beneficial?
Various studies have been conducted using Ginkgo Biloba Extract dosages from 30 mg to 600 mg per day. However, in many studies, there is no reference to the levels of the primary actives such as ginkogosides and terpenes. Obviously, a Standardized Formula would be more effective at lower dosages. For best results use only Ginkgo biloba that has been standardized to contain a content of 24% ginkgosides and 6% terpenes. Non-standardized products may not be effective. As a dietary supplement to enhance brain function and prevent circulatory disorders, begin with a minimum of 60 mg. each day, increasing your daily consumption to 120 mg. For chronic long term conditions, 360 mg per day (6-60mg capsules per day) is the dosage recommended by most herbalists. It is recommended that you take the least amount at which you can see measurable results. Long term studies indicate that there are no toxicity concerns, even at levels of 600 mg. or more. Greater benefits may be obtained when the product is enhanced with other natu-ral herbs such as Aloe Vera Extract.
Conclusion
Ginkgo biloba has been around since the age of dinosaurs. It has survived mass extinctions, ice ages, atomic explosions and environmental pollutants without damage. Visionary healers have tapped the resources of this amazing herb since the beginning of recorded history. Now with the aid of advanced diagnostic equipment and devices, we are able to unlock some of the mysteries of its phytochemical composition and release its secrets to the masses. It may well be the world's oldest "smart drug". To ensure that you obtain the greatest possible benefit, check the label and select only standardized formulas from reputable companies willing to produce a certificate of analysis.
Basis for Nomination to the CSWG:
Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) and two ingredients, bilobalide and ginkgolide B, are presented to the CSWG as part of a review of botanicals being used as dietary supplements in the United States. Herbal products represent the fastest growing segment of the vitamin, mineral supplements, and herbal products industry, an industry expected to top $6 billion in sales by 2001. GBE is an extremely popular herbal supplement; sales in 1996, the last year figures were available, exceeded $100 million.
Indications are that one in three adults in the United States are now taking dietary supplements. Sweeping deregulation of botanicals now permits GBE to be sold as a dietary supplement to a willing public eager to "improve brain functioning" or "promote radical scavenging activity."
GBE was selected for review for several reasons. First, GBE is a well defined product, and it or its active ingredients, the ginkgolides, especially ginkgolide B, and bilobalide, have clearly demonstrated biological activity. Second, GBE can be consumed in rather large doses for an extended period of time. Third, some ingredients in GBE are known mutagens; in one case, a suspected high dose carcinogen, quercetin, is intentionally concentrated from the ginkgo leaf to manufacture the final product.
Adult Dosage of Ginkgo Biloba:
Initial results often take 4 to 6 weeks, but should continue to accumulate beyond that period. You may not see any dramatic changes for six months.
GBE: 120 mg daily in two or three divided doses of 50:1 extract standardized to 24% flavone glycosides (flavonoids). If more serious dementia or Alzheimer's disease is present, up to 240 mg daily in two or three divided doses may be necessary.
Tincture (1:5): 2 to 4 mL three times a day
Chemical and Physical Properties Ginkgo Biloba Extract:
Description: Ginkgo seed has been listed as a source of medicine since the early Chinese herbals. The leaf has been recommended for medicinal uses as early as 1509 and is still used in the form of teas. The focus of this report is a standardized leaf extract first manufactured and marketed in Europe as a medicine for cardiovascular disease and now available in the United States as a dietary supplement (Huh & Staba, 1992; Salvador, 1995).
Flavonoids:
Ginkgo Biloba Extract contains flavonol glycosides including kaempferol and quercetin, and coumaroyl-ester, as shown below.
R = H: kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside
R = OH: quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin)
R = OCH3: isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside
R = H: kaempferol-3-O-(6'''-trans-p-coumaroyl-2"-glucosyl)rhamnoside
R = OH: quercetin-3-O-(6'''-trans-p-coumaroyl-2"-glucosyl)rhamnoside
Technical Products and Impurities: GBE preparations contain 24% flavone glycosides (quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin) and 6% terpene lactones (ginkgolides, bilobalide), various organic acids, and other constituents (Salvador, 1995). Ginkgolide B accounts for about 0.8% of the total extract, and bilobalide accounts for about 3% of the extract (Vasseur et al., 1994). The first standardized GBE was Egb 761, also called Tebonin, Tanakan, and rkan (Kleijnen & Knipschild, 1992a). In the United States, Nature's Way has exclusive distribution rights to Egb 761 and markets this product under the tradename Ginkgold (Anon, 1992).
Standardized ingredients of GBE
Common Name:Quercetin
CAS Registry Number:117-39-5
Chemical Abstracts Service Name:4H-1-Benzopyran-4-one, 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)- 3,5,7-trihydroxy-(9CI)
Structure, Molecular Formula and Molecular Weight:
The first mentioned use of Ginkgo biloba appears in China. Ginkgo leaf is first mentioned in Lan Mao's Dian Nan Ben Cao, published in 1436 during the Ming dynasty. Lan Mao notes external use to treat skin and head sores as well as freckles. Internal use of the leaves is first noted in Liu Wen-Tai's Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao , an imperial commissioned work recorded in 1505. Liu Wen Tai notes use of the leaves in the treatment of diarrhea. The leaves of ginkgo are known in Chinese medicine as bai-guo-ye. Recent clinical reports in modern China suggest that the leaves lower serum cholesterol levels and have some clinical value in angina pectoris.
In Traditional Chinese pharmacopeia the seeds (with fleshy rind removed) are considered more important than the leaves. The nut, called Pak Ko, is recommended to expel phlegm, stop wheezing and coughing, urinary incontinence and spermatorrhea. The raw seed is said to help bladder ailments, menorrhea, uterine fluxes, and cardiovascular ailments. The powdered leaf is inhaled for ear, nose, and throat disorders like bronchitis and chronic rhinitis. Locally applied boiled leaves are used for chilblains.. The seeds are used as an astringent for the lung, to stop asthma and enuresis.
Therapeutics and Pharmacology: The ginkgolides present in the leaf help alleviate the adverse effects of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in a number of tissues and organs because they competitively inhibit the binding of PAF to its membrane receptor. Clinical trials have demonstrated that ginkgo preparations are effective in the treatment of arterial insufficiency, particularly in the lower limbs and brain. Patients with intermittent claudication showed significant improvements in pain-free walking time and maximum walking distance. Elderly patients with chronic cerebral insufficiency demonstrated a significant regression of major symptoms including vertigo, tinnitus, headache, short-term memory, vigilance and mood changes. However, heart rate, blood pressure and blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were unaffected, and the extract had no effect on normal healthy subjects. Ginkgo has been shown to improve glucose utilisation within the brain. It improves the transmission of nerve impulses and increases alertness by increasing the brain's alpha wave rhythms and decreasing theta rhythms. It has a demonstrable effect on the venous system too and is used to treat conditions such as varicose veins.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract alleviates male impotence where the underlying cause is impaired blood circulation to erectile tissue; initial signs of improvement were seen to commence after 8 weeks of Ginkgo biloba supplementation and, after 6 months, 50% of patients had regained potency.
Recent research has shown that the extract GBE,Ginkgo Biloba Extract from the yellow autumn leaves contains a vitamin that strengthens blood vessels, reduces the production of tissue-damaging free radicals and improves cellular energy. The bioflavonoids protect and maintain the integrity of capillary walls, inhibit lipid peroxidation within cell membranes, stabilise the cell membranes involved in the blood-brain barrier, destroy free radicals and inactivate their formation. Ginkgo has been shown to improve eyesight in senile macular degeneration and to neutralise the effects of oxygen free radicals produced in the eyes.
In European clinical trials, improvements in allergic responses such as asthma have been observed. Ginkgo is thought to alleviate allergies by inhibiting the activity of eosinophils, an action attributed to Ginkgolide B. Its ability to reduce inflammation may make it valuable in the future for conditions such as autoimmune problems, multiple sclerosis and organ transplants. Some anti-tumour activity against sarcoma in mice has been recorded.
Ginkgo leaves are a Chinese herb that has been used much more in the West than in its homeland. Over five hundred scientific studies on the chemistry, pharmacology and clinical effects of gingko leaves have been conducted by European researchers over the last 20 to 30 years. The majority of studies on ginkgo leaf extract have involved a product produced by a German/French consortium, referred to in the scientific literature as EGb761.
Ginkgo standardized extracts have been widely used in Europe for a wide variety of clinical conditions associated with age-related physical and mental deterioration. These include:
1) Alzheimer's Disease / age-related dementia: Ginkgo extracts appear to be capable of stabilizing and, in some cases, improving the cognitive performance of patients with schizophrenia. Based on a quantitative analysis of the literature there is a small but significant effect of 3 to 6 month treatment with 120 to 240 mg of Gbe on objective measures of cognitive function in Alzheimer's Disease ( Oken, Oregon Health Sciences University, 1998 ). The last publication ( Le Bars, Memory Centers of America, New York, Jan 2002 ) indicated that " a treatment effect favorable to EGb could be observed with respect to cognitive performance and social functioning regardless of the stage of dementia, whether mild or moderately severe. However, the relative changes from baseline measured at endpoint depended heavily on the severity at baseline. Improvement was observed in the group of patients with very mild to mild cognitive impairment, while in more severe dementia, the mean EGb effect should be considered more in terms of stabilization or slowing down of worsening, as compared to the greater deterioration observed with placebo". Further research in the area will need to determine if there are functional improvements and to determine the best dosage. Additional research will be needed to define which ingredients in the ginkgo extract are producing its effect in individuals with AD. A recent study makes clear that EGb treatment may enhance the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs and reduce their extrapyramidal side effects( Zhang, Yale University School of Medicine, 2001 ).
2) Cardiovascular Disease: Treatment with Ginkgo biloba extract lowers fibrinogen levels and decreases plasma viscosity ( EGb can limit oxidative stress )
3) Cerebral vascular insufficiency and impaired cerebral performance: Administration of EGb has been shown to improve a variety of conditions associated with cognitive functions, particularly for memory loss, attention, alertness, vigilance, reaction times and depressive mood. A recent australian study indicates significant improvements in speed of information processing working memory and executive processing attributable to the EGb ( Stough C, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, 2001 ).
Other therapeutic applications include:
1) Congestive symptoms of premenstrual syndrome: Ginkgo extract was effective for the treatment of the congestive (particularly breast symptoms) and neuropsychological symptoms of PMS.
2) Intermittent Claudication: A recent meta-analysis ( Pittler, University of Exeter, 2000 ) found a significant difference in the increase in pain-free walking distance in favor of Ginkgo biloba (weighted mean difference: 34 meters ). In studies using similar methodological features (ergometer speed: 3 km/h, inclination: 12%) this difference was 33 meters in favor of Ginkgo biloba.
3) Vertigo / Equilibrium Disorder / Prevention of altitude sickness.
4) Tinnitus (ringing in the ear). An overview ( Holstein, Karlsruhe, 2001 ) of results of 19 clinical trials shows a statistically significant superiority of treatment with the Gbe 761 as compared with placebo or reference drugs applied of periods of 1 to 3 months. " Therapeutic success was not directly correlated with either the genesis or the duration of tinnitus. However, investigations of prognostic factors revealed that short-standing disorders have a better prognosis, so that better results can be expected from early-onset treatment."
5) Liver Fibrosis: Ginkgo biloba was shown to be effective in arresting the development of liver fibrosis associated with chronic hepatitis B.
6) Macular degeneration: In spite of the small population sample, a statistically significant improvement in long distance visual acuity was observed in patients with macular degeneration.
Precautions of Ginkgo Biloba:Ginkgo Biloba Extract
The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, contain active substances that can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, herbs should be taken with care, under the supervision of a practitioner knowledgeable in the field of botanical medicine.
GBE,Ginkgo Biloba Extract is considered to be safe and side effects are rare. In a few cases, gastrointestinal upset, headaches, skin reactions, and dizziness were reported.
Because gingko,Ginkgo Biloba Extract decreases platelet aggregation (stickiness), there is some concern that it may increase risk of intracranial (brain) hemorrhage. In fact, there have been several reports of bleeding complications associated with ginkgo use. However, it is not clear whether ginkgo or another factor (such as the combination of ginkgo and blood-thinning medications including aspirin) caused the bleeding complications.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid using ginkgo preparations Ginkgo Biloba Extract. In addition, ginkgo use should be discontinued at least 36 hours prior to surgery due to the risk of bleeding complications.
Do not ingest Ginkgo biloba fruit.
Cautions of Ginkgo Biloba:Ginkgo Biloba Extract
Do not exceed the dosage of the seeds since it can lead to skin disorders and headaches.
Cases of contact dermatitis from the fruit have been reported.
Because of its antithrombotic activity, ginkgo should not be taken with blood thinners and should be discontinued two weeks before any surgery. In the event of emergency surgery, it is well advised that the physician be notified in order to avoid any bleeding problems during the procedure.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract should also be avoided by those with such bleeding disorders as hemophilia, or those at risk for hemorrhagic stroke, especially those who smoke or use amphetamines or cocaine.
Those who are pregnant or lactating should also avoid this herb.
Ginkgo Remedies:Ginkgo Biloba Extract
Seeds are roasted and used in China for coughs and asthma, and for urinary problems. They are pleasant tasting to eat, although the husk must first be removed from the seeds.
Leaves, fresh or dried, are used to improve circulation, especially to the brain, and to maintain a plentiful blood flow to the central nervous system. They are the base to make tinctures, tablets, and fluid extracts.
Tablets are taken for poor circulation and memory loss.
Decoctions of the seeds are used to treat wheezing or, when combined with ma huang, elecampane, or mulberry leaves, to treat asthma or severe and persistent coughs.
Fluid extractions from the fresh leaves are used for asthma and in Europe, and is marketed for treating cerebral arteriosclerosis and peripheral circulatory diseases.
Tinctures from the leaves are used with such other cardiovascular herbs as greater periwinkle and limeflower for circulatory problems or with kings clover for venous disorders.
Infusions are taken to treat arteriosclerosis and varicose conditions.
Washes are used on varicose ulcers or hemorrhoids.
Traditional Uses:
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract is commonly used to preserve memory, treat mild depression, and reduce symptoms of early Alzheimer's Disease and other cognitive disorders, improve circulation and treat leg pains due to reduced blood flow, reduce the risk of blood clots, treat such inner ear disorders as tinnitus and vertigo, and treat allergies, asthma, and inflammatory disorders. Benefits usually begin about three weeks after initiating the herb, but six weeks is not uncommon; and improvement may not be noticed for several months, with benefits increasing over time.
The primary benefits of ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract seem to derive from its ability to promote the dilation of blood vessels, which improves blood flow throughout the body. This prevents the buildup of fluid (edema), reducing a wide range of disorders affecting the legs, brain, eyes, ears, and other organs.
In addition,Ginkgo Biloba Extractt seems to inhibit the formation of blood clots and functions as an antioxidant, reducing the cellular damage caused by free radicals. It may also affect such brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) as norpinephrine, serotonin, monoamine oxidase, acetylcholine, and nitric oxide, as well as inhibiting the synthesis of corticosteroids.
In China, the seeds are used to relieve wheezing and to lessen plegm, as well as treating vaginal discharge, a weak bladder, and incontinence. The leaves are also used for treating asthma.
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract has been shown to enhance energy and reduce depression.
Today, Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract is the best selling herbal medicine in France and Germany, where it is taken on a daily basis by millions of people, and likely the most useful herb for the treatment of senile dementia.
Possible Interactions:Ginkgo Biloba Extract
If you are currently being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract without first talking to your healthcare provider:
Anticonvulsant medications:
High doses of Ginkgo biloba could decrease the effectiveness of anticonvulsant therapy in patients taking carbamazepine or valproic acid to control seizures.
Blood-thinning medications:
Ginkgo has blood-thinning properties and therefore should not be used if you are taking anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medications, such as aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole, heparin, ticlopidine, or warfarin.
Cylosporine:
Ginkgo biloba,Ginkgo Biloba Extract may be beneficial during treatment with cyclosporine because of its ability to protect cell membranes from damage.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs):
Ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract may enhance the effects (both good and bad) of antidepressant medications known as MAOIs, such as phenelzine and tranylcypromine.
Papaverine:
The combination of papaverine and ginkgo,Ginkgo Biloba Extract may be effective for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in patients who do not respond to papaverine alone.
Thiazide diuretics:
Although there has been one literature report of increased blood pressure associated with the use of ginkgo during treatment with thiazide diuretics, this interaction has not been verified by clinical trials. Nevertheless, you should consult with your healthcare provider before using ginkgo if you are taking thiazide diuretics.
Trazodone:
Additionally, there has been a report of an adverse interaction between ginkgo and trazodone, an antidepressant medication, that resulted in an elderly patient going into a coma
1.What is Ginkgo Biloba? What is Ginkgo Biloba Extract or GBE?What is super water soluble ginkgo biloba extract?
Claims & Warning:
Claims: Information this web site presented is meant for Nutritional Benefit and as an educational starting point only, for use in maintenance and promotion good health in cooperation with a common knowledge base reference...Furthermore,it based solely on the traditional and historic use or legend of a given herb from the garden of Adonis. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accurate, please note that some info may be outdated by more recent scientific developments......
Pharmakon Warning: The order of knowledge is not the transparent order of forms and ideas,as one might be tempted retrospectively to interpret it; it is the antidote....(Dissemination,Plato's Pharmacy,II.The Ingredients:Phantasms,Festivals,and Paints;138cf. Jacques Derrida.).
And as it happens,the technique of imitation,along with the production of the simulacrum,has always been in Plato's eyes manifestly magical,thaumaturgical:......and the same things appear bent and straight to those who view them in water and out,or concave and convex,owing to similar errors of vision about colors, and there is obviously every confusion of this sort in our souls.And so scene painting (skiagraphia) in its exploitation of this weakness of four nature falls nothing short of witchcraft (thaumatopoia), and so do jugglery and many other such contrivances.(Republic X,602c-d;cf.also 607c).
seminal trace...Ginkgo extract.Ginkgo Biloba extract.CAS.NO.090045-36-6.Ginkgo Biloba Leaf extract.24/6,Flavone 24% Lactone 6%HPLC.Extract of maidenhair tree; Ginkgo extract; Ginkgo biloba, ext....
Ginkgo Biloba - What is it?
1) Alzheimer's Disease / age-related dementia: Ginkgo extracts appear to be capable of stabilizing and, in some cases, improving the cognitive performance of patients with schizophrenia. Based on a quantitative analysis of the literature there is a small but significant effect of 3 to 6 month treatment with 120 to 240 mg of Gbe on objective measures of cognitive function in Alzheimer's Disease ( Oken, Oregon Health Sciences University, 1998 ). The last publication ( Le Bars, Memory Centers of America, New York, Jan 2002 ) indicated that " a treatment effect favorable to EGb could be observed with respect to cognitive performance and social functioning regardless of the stage of dementia, whether mild or moderately severe. However, the relative changes from baseline measured at endpoint depended heavily on the severity at baseline. Improvement was observed in the group of patients with very mild to mild cognitive impairment, while in more severe dementia, the mean EGb effect should be considered more in terms of stabilization or slowing down of worsening, as compared to the greater deterioration observed with placebo". Further research in the area will need to determine if there are functional improvements and to determine the best dosage. Additional research will be needed to define which ingredients in the ginkgo extract are producing its effect in individuals with AD. A recent study makes clear that EGb treatment may enhance the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs and reduce their extrapyramidal side effects( Zhang, Yale University School of Medicine, 2001 ).
Scientific References:
Claims & Warning:
