GINKGO BILOBA

Ginkgo is one of the top ten best-selling medications in Germany. It is also very popular in France. It is used for a wide range of purposes - mostly related to its ability to improve circulation and act as an anti-oxidant.

Its main properties are:

IT DILATES (EXPANDS) BLOOD VESSELS, AND THINS THE BLOOD

THE ARMS AND LEGS
This is why Ginkgo is used in situations such as Raynauds syndrome, where there is a reduction in blood flow to the hands, and situations where there is a narrowing of the arteries - for example, intermittent claudication.

THE BRAIN
The dilating of the blood vessels partly explains why Ginkgo improves brain function. This is why it has been found to assist in cases of:

STUDY
In 1997, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported on a study of the effects of Ginkgo extract on 309 people with dementia (reduced mental function) caused either by Alzheimers, or by a series of 'mini-strokes. (Most research has been done using an extract of Ginkgo. This is not necessarily to say that untreated Ginkgo won't work - but the extract is mostly studied as it is widely available and has been used for decades in Germany.)

The study - which was randomised, placebo-controlled, and double blind (the most respected type!) - found that improvements due to Ginkgo equated, on average, to a six month delay in expected symptoms. This means that some individuals would receive a significantly greater benefit than the average.

So Ginkgo is definitely worth trying in these situations - especially as few side-effects have been reported from its use.

This study is typical of numerous studies into the benefits of Ginkgo, which is certainly one of the most researched herbs ever.

Another example, in 1992, the Lancet (the main UK doctors' publication) reported a 'meta-study' (study of studies) of forty studies into Ginkgo, and reported that it was as effective for improving circulation to the brain as the drug alternative then being used - and, in addition, had no serious side-effects. The drug - co-dergocrine - did have side-effects.


SOME LINKS FOR BRAIN FUNCTION/ALZHEIMERS

The Alzheimer's Society

Wikipedia on Alzheimer's Disease

[Next... Ginkgo and the eyes... Ginkgo and sex (honestly!)...]

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