What effect does ginkgo have?
There are various studies on the possible healing effects of Ginkgo biloba for various health problems. For certain areas of application, an expert committee of the European Medicines Agency, the HMPC (Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products), has medically approved the use of the medicinal plant:
- Ginkgo dry extracts can be used to improve age-related cognitive impairment and quality of life in adults with mild dementia.
- Powdered ginkgo leaves are applicable as a traditional herbal medicine for heavy legs, cold hands and feet, which may occur in connection with mild circulatory disorders.
Another international expert body, ESCOP (European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy), has also recognized the use of standardized ginkgo extracts for the following purposes:
- for the symptomatic treatment of a mild to moderate dementia syndrome (= intellectual deterioration, such as occurs in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia)
- @ for brain-organically caused performance disorders
- for the improvement of cognitive performance
- for the symptomatic treatment of window shopper’s disease (peripheral arterial occlusive disease, pAVK – also known as smoker’s leg)
Powdered ginkgo leaves are also recognized as a traditional herbal medicine for heavy legs, cold hands and feet associated with mild circulatory disorders. The prerequisite is that a serious disease as a cause has previously been medically excluded.
How is ginkgo used?
Powdered ginkgo leaves can be used against heavy legs, cold hands and feet in connection with mild circulatory disorders, provided that a serious disease as the cause of the complaints has been excluded by a doctor beforehand. However, to ensure an effect, the use of ready-made ginkgo preparations is recommended.
Ready-to-use preparations containing ginkgo are also recommended for other applications (e.g., for cognitive impairment, tinnitus, window shopper’s disease). They contain special dry extracts from the leaves of the medicinal plant.
To find out exactly how to use and dose ginkgo preparations, please refer to the package insert or ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Ginkgo tea is strongly discouraged: The effective dose of ingredients cannot be achieved by preparing tea from the leaves of the medicinal plant. In addition, the teas available in the free (Internet) trade are often not controlled and may therefore also contain harmful substances from the leaves (ginkgolic acids and ginkgotoxins).
Ginkgo seeds
The boiled or roasted ginkgo seeds are considered a delicacy in Japan. In addition, the seeds are recommended in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), for example, for coughs and bladder weakness. However, consumption of ginkgo seeds is not recommended (see “Side effects”).
Experts advise against the consumption of both ginkgo tea and ginkgo seeds.
What side effects can ginkgo have?
In healthy adults, oral use of the medicinal plant in moderate amounts usually appears to have no adverse effects. However, some patients report ginkgo side effects such as gastrointestinal complaints, headaches or allergic skin reactions.
Eating fresh (raw) or roasted ginkgo seeds can have serious side effects (due to the ingredient ginkgotoxin).
What you should keep in mind when using ginkgo
At least a thorough blood test is recommended before starting use because the medicinal plant may increase the tendency to bleed.
Inform your doctor if you are taking ginkgo preparations (or other herbal and/or over-the-counter preparations). This is especially true if he or she is going to prescribe other medications for you. This could be important for therapy planning and possible interactions between preparations. For example, ginkgo could interact with anticoagulant medications (“blood thinners”).
In case of known hypersensitivity to the medicinal plant, preparations in any form (tablets, drops, etc.) must be avoided.
How to obtain ginkgo
You can obtain standardized preparations with ginkgo extracts in pharmacies and well-stocked drugstores (for example as ginkgo tablets and ginkgo capsules).
Interesting facts about ginkgo
The 30 to 40 meter high Ginkgo biloba tree has hardly changed its appearance for millions of years and is therefore also called “living fossil”. It is the only still living representative of the so-called Ginkgoatae, a subgroup of the gymnosperms.
The tree is dioecious, which means that there are purely male and purely female specimens of this tree. Its leaves are long-stalked and bilobed with forked nerves. Because it is very decorative and also extremely resistant to air pollution, the ginkgo is often planted as an ornamental tree in cities around the world. Its true home, however, is East Asia, where the ginkgo is no longer found in the wild.
