Ginkgo Biloba Extract: A Review

Extracts of the leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree (ginkgo) have been used in China for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Research performed during the past fifteen years suggests that ginkgo may be of value in the treatment of age-related physical and mental deterioration, dementia, peripheral vascular disease, and organic impotence. Ginkgo may also reduce the severity of depression in individuals with cerebral dysfunction. Preliminary or uncontrolled studies suggest that ginkgo may benefit some patients suffering from tinnitus, vertigo, acute cochlear deafness, macular degeneration, cyclic edema, and asthma. (Alt Med Rev 1996;1(4):236-242) The Ginkgo biloba tree (ginkgo) is the oldest tree on earth: more than 200 million years old.1 Individual ginkgo trees sometimes live more than 1,000 years. For those of you who believe that nature is a metaphor, it should not be surprising that extracts of the leaves of the oldest tree on earth have been shown to exhibit what might be described as “anti-aging ” effects. Even if you do not wish to grant Mother Nature that poetic license, there is a considerable