by Jennifer Pitzi Hellwig
Brain pwer in a bottle Is ginkgo biloba a mental health miracle or just another yet-to-be-proven-effective dietary supplement? The answer lies somewhere in between.
Chances are youve heard of ginkgo biloba–the dietary supplement with the strange-sounding name–even if you dont know exactly what it is or what it does. Advertisements call the herb "the thinking persons supplement," and claim that it improves memory and concentration and enhances mental focus.
An extract made from the leaves of the ginkgo biloba tree, ginkgo has been used medicinally by Chinese herbalists as early as 3000 B.C. The tree itself is so primitive that it doesnt produce flowers, and so hardy that one tree actually survived atomic destruction at Hiroshima. The key to ginkgos efficacy seems to be a substance that scientists have dubbed EGb 761.
Ginkgo is the most popular botanical extract in Europe, and there are more than 400 scientific studies attesting to its ability to increase blood flow and protect the nervous system. In Germany the extract has been the subject of hundreds of scientific studies. These studies show that among other things, EGb 761 helps keep platelets in the blood from clumping together. Thats why ginkgo extract is prescribed in low doses (40 mg a day) in Europe for patients with circulatory problems. Much higher doses (240 mg a day) are used to treat cognitive deficits, such as memory loss.
Brain pwer in a bottle Is ginkgo biloba a mental health miracle or just another yet-to-be-proven-effective dietary supplement? The answer lies somewhere in between.
Chances are youve heard of ginkgo biloba–the dietary supplement with the strange-sounding name–even if you dont know exactly what it is or what it does. Advertisements call the herb "the thinking persons supplement," and claim that it improves memory and concentration and enhances mental focus.
An extract made from the leaves of the ginkgo biloba tree, ginkgo has been used medicinally by Chinese herbalists as early as 3000 B.C. The tree itself is so primitive that it doesnt produce flowers, and so hardy that one tree actually survived atomic destruction at Hiroshima. The key to ginkgos efficacy seems to be a substance that scientists have dubbed EGb 761.
Ginkgo is the most popular botanical extract in Europe, and there are more than 400 scientific studies attesting to its ability to increase blood flow and protect the nervous system. In Germany the extract has been the subject of hundreds of scientific studies. These studies show that among other things, EGb 761 helps keep platelets in the blood from clumping together. Thats why ginkgo extract is prescribed in low doses (40 mg a day) in Europe for patients with circulatory problems. Much higher doses (240 mg a day) are used to treat cognitive deficits, such as memory loss.