Ginkgo biloba (Gingko) 24% Flavonoglycosides Extract

24% Flavonoglycosides
6% Terpine Lactones

Used as an infusion, decoction, food additive and supplement.

Medicinal use of Ginkgo leaf tea is ancient in Chinese herbal medicine. It helps clear the mind and improve the power of concentration.

Modern clinical trials have demonstrated the usefulness of ginkgo in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, age-related cognitive decline and depression.

Ginkgo's flavone glycosides and terpene lactones do indeed increase circulation to the brain and other parts of the body as well as exerting a protective action on nerve cells.

The unique terpene lactone components found in ginkgo are known as ginkgolides and bilobalide. Ginkgolides apparently improve circulation and inhibit platelet-activating factor. Bilobalide protects the cells of the nervous system. Recent animal studies indicate that bilobalide may help regenerate damaged nerve cells.

One double blind study found that ginkgo could help people with macular degeneration, an oxidation-related disorder causing decreased or lost vision.

Ginkgo’s antioxidant activity in the brain and central nervous system may help prevent age-related declines in brain function. The brain and central nervous system are particularly susceptible to free radical attack. Free radical damage, that is, oxidation damage, in the brain is widely accepted as being a contributing factor in many disorders associated with aging, including Alzheimer’s disease.

The 1997 Commission E on Phytotherapy and Herbal Substances of the German Federal Institute for Drugs recommends a dry extract from the dried leaf of Ginkgo biloba for '(a) symptomatic treatment of disturbed performance in organic brain syndrome within the regimen of a therapeutic concept in cases of demential syndromes with the following principal symptoms: Memory deficits, disturbances in concentration, depressive emotional condition, dizziness, tinnitus, and headache.'

'(b) Improvement of pain-free walking distance in peripheral arterial occlusive disease in Stage II of Fontaine (intermittent claudication) in a regimen of physical therapeutic measures, in particular walking exercise. (c) Vertigo and tinnitus (ringing in the ear) of vascular and involutional origin.'

'The following pharmacological effects have been established experimentally:

Improvement of hypoxic tolerance, particularly in the cerebral tissue.
Inhibition of the development of traumatically or toxically induced cerebral edema, and acceleration of its regression.
Reduction of retinal edema and of cellular lesions in the retina.
Inhibition in age-related reduction of muscarinergic cholinoceptors and 2-adrenoceptors as well as stimulation of choline uptake in the hippocampus.
Increased memory performance and learning capacity.
Improvement in the compensation of disturbed equilibrium.
Improvement of blood flow, particularly in the region of microcirculation.
Improvement of the rheological properties of the blood.
Inactivation of toxic oxygen radicals (flavonoids).
Antagonism of the platelet-activating factor/PAF (ginkgolides).
Neuroprotective effect (ginkgolides A and B, bilobalide).'

'Investigations with this extract as specified above showed no effects which were either mutagenic, carcinogenic, or toxic to reproduction.'

'Daily dosages: Indication (a): 120 - 240 mg native dry extract in 2 or 3 doses. Indications (b) and (c): 120 - 160 mg native dry extract in 2 or 3 doses. Mode of Administration: In liquid or solid pharmaceutical forms, for oral intake. Duration of Administration: Indication (a): Length of administration should be judged according to the severity of symptoms and should extend at least 8 weeks in the case of chronic illness. Administration for more than 3 months should be reviewed as to justification for continued administration.'

http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb1.htm:

Clinical Trials

Ginkgo biloba extract with carboxymethyl-beta-1,3-glucan applied to skin for 2 weeks reduced dermatitis from various allergens for 22 women in double blind study Castelli 1998

Ginkgo leaf extract, avg 209 mg/day, offset sexual dysfunction caused by serotonin reuptake inhibitors, 91% for 33 women and 76% for 30 men Cohen 1998

Alzheimer's therapy study ought to include ginkgo, antioxidants, hormones, etc.; a review Doraiswamy 1998

Literature review indicates ginkgo biloba provides statistically significant but clinically modest improvement in cognitive function for early dementia Flint 1998

Ginkgo biloba special extract EGb 761--an anti-dementia drug [Article in German] Horr 1998

111 patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease and claudication given 3 pills/day of EGb 761 for 24 wk had walking distance increase to 153m vs 127 for placebo Peters 1998

Preliminary lab and clinical data support use of herbals such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba and garlic, and nutritional supplements to slow aging Rattan 1998

Analysis (by GC/MS) and characterization of quercetin and kaempferol in urine following ingestion of Ginkgo biloba tablets Watson 1998

Review indicates good evidence for the efficacy of St John's wort for depression and for ginkgo in the treatment of memory impairment caused by dementia Wong 1998

After six-weeks treatment, increase in ECG first degree AV-blocks and abnormalities of repolarization for imipramine but a significant reduction for hypericum in double blind study with 209 depression patients Czekalla 1997

Modest improvements in cognitive tests by 202 mild to severely demented patients taking EGb 761 for a year Le Bars 1997

240 mg/day of Ginkgo extract EGb 761 (Tebonin forte) to 20 Alzheimer's patients improved SKT score by 3 points while placebo group deteriorated by 0.8. Maurer 1997

320 mg/day EGb 761 (n = 8) compared to placebo (n = 7) for 5 days before cardiopulmonary bypass reduced thiobarbituric acid-reactive species, decrease of DMSO/ascorbyl radicals, myoglobin leakage and ventricular myosin leakage. Final outcome comparable Pietri 1997

Urine collected for 3 days after Ginkgo biloba leaves taken contains metabolites that account for less than 30% of the flavonoids ingested Pietta 1997

64 healthy adults given Ginkgo biloba/ginseng combination at 80, 160, or 320 mg bid for 90 days had improved heart rate and cognition Wesnes 1997

24 week, randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind study with parallel-group comparison of 60 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease using EGb 761 at 120 mg/d found longer walking distances in the treatment group [Article in German] Blume 1996

18 claudication patients randomized in a double blind cross-over study with GB-8 at 120 mg/day for 3 months showed improved concentration and memory but unchanged walking distance, peripheral blood pressure, and leg pain [Article in Danish] Drabaek 1996

Placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial with 40 moderate dementia patients found that Ginkgo EGb 4 days per week for 4 weeks improved condition (p <0.05)[Article in German] Haase 1996

216 Alzheimer's and multi-infarct dementia patients in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 240 mg EGb 761 for 24 weeks found benefit with the 156 patients who completed the study Kanowski 1996

New Clinical Drug Eval. Unit (NCDEU) review of natural psychotropics, highlighting Hypericum, Valerian, Ginkgo and Ginseng Cott 1995

55 ischaemic stroke patients in placebo controlled trial found no benefit for Ginkgo extract at 160 mg/day although 40 trials by others have shown usefulness for chronic cerebral ischaemia Garg 1995

Meta analysis of 11 placebo controlled randomized double blind trials in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency indicates Ginkgo benefit [Article in German] Hopfenmuller 1994

900 mg of hypericum per day for 4 weeks benefited seasonal affective disorder (SAD) Martinez 1994

43 patients with high cholersterol (230-390) had modest lowering by garlic-ginkgo combination compared with placebo Kenzelmann 1993

72 outpatients with cerebral insufficiency in a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study for 24 weeks with EGb 761 found improved short-term memory [Article in German] Grassel 1992

Meta-analysis of 5 placebo controlled trials with EGb 761 for patients with peripheral arterial disease found improved walking distances [Article in German] Schneider 1992

31 memory impaired patients in a 6-month double-blind, placebo controlled trial with 120 mg/d Ginkgo extract (tanakan) showed benefit for cognitive function Rai 1991

60 inpatients with cerebral insufficiency in a double-blind study for 6 weeks with 160 mg/d Ginkgo extract had small progressive improvements after 4 weeks [Article in German] Eckmann 1990

For 70 patients with vertiginous syndrome of undetermined origin, in a 3-month double blind trial, 47% of the treatment group had symptoms eliminated vs. 18% of the placebo group [Article in French] Haguenauer 1986

103 tinnitus patients in a 13 month trial found benefit with Ginkgo vs. placebo [Article in French] Meyer 1986

166 patients with cerebral disorders due to ageing in a double-blind, placebo controlled trial had benefit after 3 or more months [Article in French] Taillandier 1986

A 6-month double-blind randomised clinical trial with 79 patients with peripheral arteriopathy showed benefit for Ginkgo extract (rokan) Bauer 1984