The giant ginkgo tree with its fan-shaped, notched leaves is one of the oldest plant species of all – its ancestors have been on earth for 300 million years. No wonder that in Asia it has always been a symbol of hope, long life, fertility, vitality and invincibility.
Ginkgo – a tree with many names
Ginkgo – or actually Ginkyo (an error in translation from Japanese) – has almost as many names as leaf colors: silver apricot, maidenhair tree, temple tree, duckfoot tree, fan (leaf) tree, elephant ear tree, forty thaler tree and grandfather grandson tree are just a few. It often owes these names to its leaf shape, but also to the color of its silvery seed coats and history is reflected in it (in Asia it is found in many temple complexes, 40 thalers were paid by the French for the first trees they bought).
Ginkgo biloba: harmony and strength.
Ginkgo biloba is the last of its kind – all its relatives of the plant family “Ginkgoaceae” died out thousands of years ago. Their peculiarity: they shed discolored leaves in autumn like deciduous trees, but possessed a variety of different leaves, some of which looked like those of conifers. The shape of the ginkgo is also more reminiscent of a conifer than a deciduous tree. The ginkgo is normally dioecious-separate sexes – to reproduce, flowers of a male and a female specimen must come together. Interestingly, the ginkgo takes about 20 to 30 years to even reach sexual maturity. Another characteristic: Ginkgo is extremely insensitive to external stimuli – if it has survived the winter frosts in its young years, Ginkgo later defies car exhaust fumes, road salt, pests, climatic extremes and other influences without any problems. No wonder, then, that it has existed for so long and that a specimen can live for hundreds of years. In Asia, the tree is also revered for its combination of a hardy, tall trunk and the softness of its round leaves – together with its dioeciousness, a symbol of harmony and the ying-yang principle. The “Curatorship Tree of the Year” has even named Ginkgo biloba “Tree of the Millennium” due to its amazing properties and history.
Ginkgo: Healthy and beautiful thanks to ginkgo?
In Asia, especially China, the “miracle tree” has long been used for beauty care and especially as a medicinal plant – the seeds or fruits, but also leaves and tree bark are eaten for asthma, bronchitis, circulatory disorders, skin diseases, urinary incontinence and anxiety. However, they are said to be particularly effective in cases of poor concentration and memory disorders. Also with us the plant has for years a firm place as welfare means – approximately each third sold medicine against blood circulation disturbances is a Ginkgo preparation. Extracts from dried ginkgo leaves (GBE) are used, which are obtained in more than 20 process steps. The flavonoids and terpenoids contained therein are particularly effective. These are found in this special form and composition as ginkolides and bilobalides only in the ginkgo. There are two reasons why we use extracts: The valuable ingredients of the leaves are only poorly soluble in water and can therefore be insufficiently utilized by the organism. In addition, consumption of the leaves can even be harmful because natural ginkgo also contains substances that can cause allergies. Modern medicines from ginkgo therefore contain an extract to which the desirable ingredients are added and from which the undesirable substances are removed.
Ginkgo works! Really?
Areas of application are mainly diseases related to the disturbance of blood circulation and brain performance, which occur more frequently with age. Thus, it is supposed to prevent senile dementia or improve or slow down the process that has already occurred and improve blood flow in the legs. It is supposed to prevent migraine, positively influence the course of multiple sclerosis, improve premenstrual complaints in women and tinnitus or a hearing loss. It is also said to be effective against altitude sickness and to reduce visual impairment in glaucoma (green cataract).
Ginkgo: effects of ginkgo extract.
- Ginkgo extract makes the blood more fluid.
- The blood flow in the fine vessels (microcirculation) is improved and thus the oxygen and nutrient content of the “gray cells”.
- Ginkgo is also a so-called radical scavenger, which means aggressive molecules that attack the cells are intercepted.
- The nerve cells are protected, because ginkgo counteracts the degradation of nerve cells and increases the performance of existing cells.
In recent decades, numerous studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of ginkgo. Was the euphoria bzgl. the “wonder drug” for many years quite high, disillusionment followed: Several recent clinical studies showed that even the positive effects on dementia and memory impairment, which had been proven again and again until then, are quite in doubt. The numerous other propagated effects have also hardly been scientifically proven – and for every study that thinks it has provided proof, there is at least one other that shows exactly the opposite.
Ginkgo side effects and ginkgo use.
Ginkgo preparations are available over-the-counter at pharmacies; only finished preparations of ginkgo extract are used. Dosage forms include ginkgo tablets, ginkgo capsules, ginkgo lozenges, ginkgo juices, and ginkgo drops, which may differ in terms of active ingredient concentration and composition. The treatment should be carried out over a period of 8 weeks. Side effects with ginkgo can in rare cases be disturbances of the circulation, gastrointestinal complaints, allergic skin reactions or phlebitis. However: Some studies show an increased risk for patients to suffer a stroke or one of its precursors. The increased risk of bleeding has been known for some time, especially when ginkgo is taken together with blood thinners (such as low-dose acetylsalicylic acid, prescribed for example after a heart attack). Therefore: never take ginkgo preparations without consulting your doctor!
