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Why
Ginkgo Biloba Is The
Best-Selling Booster For Brain Function
The preparations
of ginkgo biloba commonly sold as herbal supplements
are derived from the leaves of the ginkgo trees, which are probably the longest
living in the world Individual trees are believed to live for up to 1,000 years
and are found most commonly in southern and eastern areas of the US, southern
France, China, and Korea.
Traditional
Chinese medicine has made use of the nuts of the ginkgo tree for around 5,000
years, but the use of the leaves is a relatively recent European
development. Widespread
recognition of the active properties of the plant have made ginkgo leaf extract
products the best-selling of all herbal medicines and supplements in Europe, and
also placed them in the ten most popular in the USA, where it’s classed as a
dietary supplement. In fact it’s
estimated that around 2 billion 120 mg doses of supplement have been sold in the
last twenty years alone.
The
principal active elements of ginkgo leaf extract are the flavonoids which, like those derived from other sources
(green tea, for example) are a powerful anti-oxidant; and terpene lactones.
As an
anti-oxidant, ginkgo biloba is particularly effective
in neutralising the most damaging superoxide free
radicals and thereby helping to prevent the atherosclerosis, or hardening of the
arteries, which is a common precursor of serious cardiovascular disease. And most of the benefits of ginkgo stem
in fact from its effect in improving the circulation of the blood - as numerous
research studies have demonstrated.
Ginkgo enhanced circulation in the
minute capillaries of the eye has been credited with protecting against
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Improved circulation in the ears may
also protect against tinnitus and hearing loss.
Studies using supplementation at 240
mg also demonstrated improved exercise tolerance and reduced pain in those
suffering from intermittent claudication, or
peripheral vascular disease, – a painful and potentially dangerous problem with
the circulation in the legs.
But as valuable as these
effects undoubtedly are, it’s as a stimulant for the brain and a protector
against the dreadful effects of Alzheimer’s disease and
other causes of dementia that ginkgo biloba is best
known. Although conventional
medicine, as ever, retains its tendency towards caution when considering the
possible effects of “alternative” remedies, it’s generally conceded that ginkgo
biloba has significant therapeutic effects in the
treatment of the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The benefits, in fact, are closely
analogous to those of conventional drug therapies, and although not, of course,
offering a cure, may significantly slow down the progress of this most
devastating disease.
Research studies have also
indicated clinically significant improvements in performance in standard tests
of memory and learning when healthy adults were given supplements at the level
of 180 mg of ginkgo biloba a day for a period of six
weeks. Similar benefits, however,
were not shown at lower levels of supplementation.
The common sense hypothesis
is that ginkgo biloba improves the blood supply and
circulation to the brain as it does to other parts of the body, which can only
have a positive effect on the memory and other cognitive functions of the
organ. Moreover,
improved circulation along with ginkgo biloba’s
anti-oxidant properties play a major role in protecting against the circulatory
problems which can lead to stroke, still one of the major causes of premature
death or incapacity in the Western world.
Although the 180 mg daily
dose has been shown to be beneficial, some alternative medical practitioners
recommend higher doses, even as high as 360 mg. The generally recommended composition of
supplements, and that found in most commercial preparations, is in the
proportions 24% ginkgo flavonoids and 6% terpenes.
Ginkgo biloba is recognised as a safe medication and very rarely
produces any side effects in the otherwise healthy even in the high doses
mentioned above. But it’s effect in
improving the circulation by reducing the “stickiness” of the blood mean it is
strongly contra-indicated prior to surgery and for those already taking blood
thinning drugs such as warfarin.
In summary it may be said
that conventional medicine recognises ginkgo biloba as
a potentially effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and as an aid to good
circulation with some positive effects in cases of cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease in
the legs. Alternative practitioners
insist that ginkgo biloba is also effective in
improving memory, learning and general cognitive function in healthy adults, but
orthodox medicine remains reluctant to endorse these
claims.
December 2007
Low Cost Liquid Vitamins and Minerals