Ginkgo Biloba L. is taken to Improve Short Term Memory

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Ginkgo Biloba L. is taken to Improve Short Term Memory JoAnn Guest Jun 22,

2005 21:14 PDT

 

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The Ginkgo Biloba tree is the world's oldest living tree species. The

trees today are unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.

Botanical Name: Ginkgoaceae

 

http://eatmoreherbs.com/zine/8_ginkgo_biloba.html

 

Ginkgo Biloba is a Chinese herb also known as Maidenhair Tree, icho

(Japanese), pai kuo yeh (Chinese). Yinhsing, Bai Guo Ye, Fossil Tree,

Japanese Silver Apricot, Kew Tree, Forty-Coin Tree, Salisburia

Adiantifolia and as many other names as there are provinces in China.

 

Ginkgo comes from the Chinese name Yin Kuo, and the Japanese Ginkyo

which means " silver fruit " or " silver apricot " . Biloba means two lobes,

referring to the two lobes of the leaf which are divided by a groove

down the middle of the leaf.

 

It is the world's oldest living tree species. The trees today are

unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.

 

Charles Darwin called it a living fossil.

 

Before the last ice age Ginkgo Biloba was common in Asia, Europe and

America. By the time of the last ice age the only surviving trees were

in south-east China. Now they can be found all over the world and in

just about every city in the United States.

 

The trees are remarkably resistant to disease, pests, fires and air

pollution. They often thrive in harsh city environments. It has been

planted in China and Japan in temple gardens for generations. Individual

trees can live over a thousand years, and I have read there are trees

older than 3,000 years.

 

Trees are male and female with male and female flowers blooming on

separate trees. They may take as long as 30 years to flower. Females

produce fruits that become smelly as they ripen.

 

The fruits contain an edible inner seed. In Japan seeds were

traditionally eaten with alcohol drinks. There is an enzyme in the

Ginkgo seed that is known to increase alcohol metabolism.

 

The first plant to grow in the city of Hiroshima after the atomic blast

was a Ginkgo tree at the Hosenji Temple. That tree is alive today. You

can see a photo of it here

http://www.huis.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/~nomura/H/hichou1.html

 

Today the leaf extract is taken to improve short term memory,

 

improve blood circulation to the brain and the extremities,

 

treat tinnitus (ringing in the ear),

 

slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease,

 

lower blood pressure,

 

inhibit blood clotting,

 

protect arteries, veins, and capillaries from damage

and regulate their tone and elasticity.

 

The whole extract, rather than any single part of the extract, is

thought to be responsible for the benefits of Ginkgo. Ginkgo Biloba leaf

extract, has become one of the most researched herbal extracts.

 

Ginkgo works gradually so when taking a Ginkgo extract, allow several

weeks to get the full effects. Ginkgo extract has not been associated

with severe side effects. but in some people the extract can cause mild

side effects.

 

At this time, there are no known interactions with commonly prescribed

drugs. The amount of insulin diabetics require may need adjustment.

Ginkgo extract is extremely safe but, as always, before taking any herb

during pregnancy or lactation consult with your health care provider.

 

This site has many great photos of the Ginkgo Biloba tree in Japan

http://www.kyoboku.com/itefu/ichou1.html

 

The " Ginkgo Pages " shows how much people love this tree. It is one of

the best sites around on Ginkgo http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten

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Ginkgo -LATIN NAME: Ginkgo biloba & Senile Dementia

 

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http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/54/8.cfm

 

I started taking ginkgo only in the last year, after I read a study in

The Journal of the American Medical Association that acknowledged that

ginkgo might help slow the effects of old age on the brain, which they

called senile dementia.

 

Senile dementia is a blanket term for getting addled in your old age,

and it includes Alzheimer's disease.

 

Both my mother and her mother were sharp into their late nineties, but

who knows what genes I may have inherited from my father's side--he died

at age 65, too young for me to find out how he would have aged. I don't

know nearly as much about my father's side of the family as my mother's.

They were all much shorter lived.

 

So I'm taking ginkgo as a preventive, not for anything chronic.

 

One doesn't notice any changes when one prevents something, and so far,

I'd say the ginkgo is doing the job.

 

One of the ways it works is by improving circulation, both in the brain

and in the body's extremities.

 

Old folks often have poor circulation in their hands and feet, and

ginkgo has been shown to help both of those. It also improves

circulation in the sexual organs, another body extremity. Some

California studies have also attributed an aphrodisiac effect to ginkgo

extract.

 

What Ginkgo Is and What It Can Do

 

The ginkgo tree is a living fossil. The species that lines city

sidewalks today is virtually the same tree that shaded dinosaurs in the

Jurassic period. Ginkgo biloba is so old that it once grew widely

throughout the northern hemisphere at a time when lands bordering the

Arctic Ocean were warm and balmy.

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

Sales of ginkgo extract in Europe have totaled as much as $500 million

per year.

 

 

 

All (Alone) in the Family

 

In the remote past, there were many species of ginkgo, but now Ginkgo

biloba is an only child. It has the unique distinction of being the only

species in the only genus in the only family in a single order of trees

that have swimming sperm--that is, sperm that swim to the egg in the

fertilization process. (It's true that some primitive plants have

swimming sperm. Plants are a lot more like us than we think.)

 

Ginkgoes can live for more than 1,000 years and have a venerated role in

traditional Asian medicine.

 

Almost 5,000 years ago, the Chinese used ginkgo leaves to prevent memory

loss due to age, according to Georges Halpern, M.D., Ph.D., in his book

Ginkgo, A Practical Guide.

 

The Chinese also burned the leaves and inhaled the smoke to treat

respiratory ailments, but mostly they valued ginkgo's seeds and fruit.

 

WHAT NEW RESEARCH TELLS US

 

Recent research and experience has shown us some exciting new

possibilities for ginkgo:

 

Sickle cell anemia. Medical herbalist Alan Keith Tillotson and his wife,

Naixin Hu Tillotson, a Chinese medicine specialist, run the Chrysalis

Natural Medicine Clinic in Wilmington, Delaware.

 

They report four startling successes with sickle cell anemia, an

inherited blood disease for which medical doctors have no cure.

 

Their herbal formula includes ginkgo plus prickly ash bark

(Zanthoxylum).

 

Radiation sickness. After the nuclear accident in 1986 at Chernobyl in

the Ukraine, emergency crews came from all parts of the former Soviet

Union to shut down the damaged reactor.

 

Afterward, most of these workers had increased levels of free radicals

in their blood, putting them at risk for chromosome damage and cancer.

 

A French study published in 1995 reported that when these workers took

40 milligrams of ginkgo extract three times a day for eight weeks, their

levels of free radicals had fallen to normal and were even maintained

for seven months without further treatment.

 

Cellulite. Recently, ginkgo extracts have been showing up in cellulite

remedies, thanks to their ability to reduce swelling and improve blood

flow through the capillaries. Yes, those unique ginkgo constituents that

can help a body function better can make it look better, too.

 

One research study found that ginkgo was just as effective at reducing

swelling due to irritation as indomethacin, a generic nonsteroidal

anti-inflammatory drug.

 

Other researchers showed that ginkgo's ability to increase blood flow in

the capillaries, thus increasing skin temperature, can improve the

condition and appearance of weak, sagging skin due to aging, as well as

the appearance of dimpled skin, or cellulite.

 

 

 

Keeping Mentally Fit

 

In the West, we've only started to seriously look at ginkgo in the past

few decades, and our modern applications of ginkgo are often different

from what the Chinese used it for.

 

Most of the recent medical research has been done in Germany on highly

concentrated ginkgo leaf extracts used to improve peripheral circulation

and to thin the blood.

 

There's good European research showing that by helping to improve blood

flow to the brain, ginkgo counteracts some consequences of aging.

 

Some studies, including one that I read in a 1997 JAMA, suggest that

ginkgo helps people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of

dementia. Patients seem to become more alert and sociable, think more

clearly, feel better, and remember more.

 

In Europe, a concentrated extract of the leaves is the top-selling

pharmaceutical and is taken regularly by many older people to help keep

themselves mentally fit.

 

FROM MY SCIENCE NOTEBOOK

Ginkgo contains two main categories of active components--flavonoids and

terpenes.

 

Flavonoids can be very beneficial, because they are antioxidants that

can neutralize free radicals and protect the body from their ravages.

 

Free radicals are those trouble-causing, unbalanced molecular pieces or

atoms that break up or bind with any molecules they come in contact with

wherever they are in the body.

 

Free radicals are believed to be involved with inflammation,

degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart and circulatory diseases,

and the aging process.

 

Moreover, cerebral oxidative damage by free radicals can impair memory.

 

Flavonoids also maintain arachidonic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid

that is needed for healthy cells. In addition, flavonoids are the

components of ginkgo that improve circulation, reduce the tendency of

blood platelets to stick together, protect blood vessels, and strengthen

capillary walls.

 

Ginkgo's terpenes are in the form of substances called bilobalides and

ginkolides, rare substances that occur only in ginkgo. Like ginkgo's

flavonoids, many of its terpenes are antioxidants, too.

 

But terpenes also improve circulation and metabolism, protect the body

against unwanted blood clots, and protect nerve cells from damage.

 

The terpenes have been credited with improving memory and mental

function, and can help during recovery from a stroke.

 

As summarized by Commission E, Germany's government-appointed panel of

physicians, pharmacologists, and other experts who review herbal

medicines for safety and effectiveness, ginkgo:

 

 

 

* Increases the body's tolerance to lack of oxygen, especially in brain

tissue

 

* Inhibits swelling (edema) in the brain caused by trauma or toxins

 

* Reduces swelling and lesions in the retina

 

* Inhibits age-related decline of choline receptors and promotes choline

uptake in the brain

 

* Improves memory and learning capacity

 

* Helps with balance

 

* Improves blood flow, especially in the capillaries

 

* Scavenges free radicals

 

* Inhibits the platelet activating factor, a mediator of chemical

processes within the body, including platelet aggregation, blood

clotting, and allergic reactions

 

* Protects the nerves

 

 

 

How Ginkgo Can Help

 

Ginkgo's beneficial effects can be broken down into three categories: It

protects cell health, cleans up free radicals, and keeps blood vessels

strong.

 

These actions can be very useful in treating and preventing a number of

diseases and conditions. Here are a few of ginkgo's most notably proven

applications.

 

Aging (memory problems, poor circulation, depression, etc.). Aging is a

natural part of life--in time, our bodies slow down and weaken, and so

do our brains.

 

However, many hazards of old age--including poor memory, confusion,

depression, and minor physical complaints such as dizziness--are not

inevitable and can be slowed, some even reversed.

 

Just as exercise, a balanced diet rich in phytochemicals, and sensible

habits can keep our bodies in good condition for as long as we inhabit

them, such practices can keep our brains going strong, too.

 

Ginkgo is a premier example of a substance that can keep your brain

sharp by stimulating blood flow and brain function.

 

Ginkgo contains unique terpene lactones, substances that help increase

circulation to the brain and other parts of the body. These substances

can also help protect nerve cells.

 

Remember that cerebral circulation is reduced in older people, and

that's where ginkgo also helps by allowing more blood, and therefore

more oxygen and glucose (blood sugar), to reach the brain's cells.

 

Hundreds of European studies have confirmed the use of standardized

ginkgo leaf extract for a wide variety of conditions associated with

aging, including memory loss and poor circulation. At the University of

Vienna, researchers tested the effects of ginkgo on 48 patients between

51 and 79 years old with age-associated memory impairment. Results,

published in Germany, showed that after 57 days, those taking the ginkgo

extract experienced a slight improvement.

 

Another common condition of aging is depression. One European study

recruited 40 depressed elderly people with cerebral blood flow problems

who had not improved by taking pharmaceutical antidepressants. After

taking 80 milligrams of ginkgo extract three times a day, both their

depression and mental faculties had improved significantly.

 

HERB LORE AND MORE

The Chinese revere three legendary emperors who gave them wisdom and

knowledge 5,000 years ago. One, the Emperor Shen Nung, is considered to

be the first Chinese herbalist and is author of an ancient medical text,

Pen T'sao Ching. In it, ginkgo leaves are said to help the elderly

preserve their memory, and to aid breathing problems.

 

Chinese herbalists used ginkgo seeds to counteract diseases such as

asthma or chronic diarrhea. Even today, roasted ginkgo seeds are served

at celebrations in Japan and China because they are thought to aid

digestion and prevent drunkenness. The seeds do actually contain two

compounds shown to speed up the metabolism of alcohol, which has

inspired my couplet:

 

They say that you won't get real stinko

If you nibble the nuts of the ginkgo.

 

 

 

Allergies. Dust, pollen, foods, pets, and plants--allergies to certain

substances can be irritating (sneezing and itchy eyes) or life

threatening (anaphylactic shock). When the body is exposed to allergens,

cells release histamine. This causes blood vessels to swell, fluids to

leak into tissues, and muscles to spasm. As a result, we experience the

unpleasant symptoms associated with allergies, such as red, itchy, or

swollen skin, sneezing and congested airways, or red, irritated eyes.

 

Ginkgo extract contains several unique compounds to counteract

allergies, including seven antihistamines and a dozen

anti-inflammatories.

 

Another substance released in an allergic reaction is called the

platelet activating factor (PAF), which causes spasms of the bronchial

muscles. Ginkgo's ginkgolides counteract PAF, thus lessening allergic

reactions.

 

Altitude sickness. Ginkgo can prevent headaches by helping the lungs and

brain use oxygen more efficiently--important when you are 10,000 feet

above sea level, where oxygen levels are low. Studies have shown that

standardized extracts of ginkgo leaves increase the flexibility of blood

vessels in the brain, which improves circulation.

 

Ginkgo also thins the blood, which tends to thicken at high altitudes.

Oxygen-rich blood can help reduce the headaches, dizziness, and

confusion that often accompany altitude sickness. Brigitte Mars, a

member of the American Herbalists Guild who teaches at the Rocky

Mountain School of Botanical Medicine, in Boulder, Colorado, suggests

starting to take ginkgo capsules several days before a trip to high

elevations; the usual dose is 120 milligrams per day.

 

Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of

something doctors generally refer to as senile dementia. Alzheimer's

affects about 4 million Americans. About 10 percent of people over age

65 can expect to suffer from the mental deterioration associated with

the disease. If you live beyond age 85, your chances are one in two that

you'll be diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

 

The symptoms of Alzheimer's are due to progressive deterioration of

brain cells and vary from person to person. Most often, memory loss is

the first sign, followed by disorientation and an inability to

concentrate, calculate, or communicate. Final stages include

hallucinations, delusions, and loss of control.

 

Ginkgo's potential for lessening the effects of Alzheimer's disease is

found in its antioxidant properties. Ginkgo has a number of substances

that work together to scavenge for free radicals, which are linked to

the excessive oxidation and cell damage associated with Alzheimer's

disease.

 

Ginkgo has recently been approved in Germany for the treatment of

dementia, and there are many European studies to support this. In such

studies, ginkgo extract improved the attention and memory of patients

with senile or presenile dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

 

In 1998, Barry S. Oken, M.D., reviewed 50 studies in which Alzheimer's

patients took ginkgo, and he concluded that ginkgo is almost as good at

improving cognitive functions like alertness, attention, and memory as

the synthetics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 

DR. DUKE'S NOTES

In 1999, the American Chemical Society awarded its Cope Award to E. J.

Corey for the first synthesis of ginkgolides. It's interesting to see

the great emphasis chemists put on trying to synthesize what nature has

been kind enough to provide for free, in abundance, and in synergy with

many more active compounds.

 

 

 

Asthma. Bronchial asthma is a chronic respiratory illness. When asthma

attacks, sensitive bronchial tubes constrict, making breathing

difficult. The body also produces excess mucus, making it even harder to

breathe. Ginkgo contains numerous natural antihistamine compounds, which

can help block the effects of histamine, a chemical that is released

during an allergic reaction.

 

Another substance released is the platelet activating factor, a protein

in the blood that plays a role in triggering bronchospasms. Ginkgo

contains compounds called ginkgolides that inhibit PAF. Herbalists think

ginkgo could be helpful by improving some types of allergies linked to

asthma. Ginkgo's ginkgolides are antiallergens that can protect the

bronchial tubes from substances that set off asthma attacks.

 

Broken capillaries and varicose veins. Ginkgo contains good quantities

of rutin and other substances that strengthen capillaries. My taking

bilberry, ginkgo, and horse chestnut may be a triple whammy for those

leaky capillaries. As a highly effective treatment for various blood

vessel disorders, ginkgo can have a toniclike effect to keep varicose

veins from getting worse.

 

Eczema. People with eczema often have allergies that sensitize

overreactive skin, causing redness and itching. Ginkgo can work inside

the body to help decrease hypersensitivity to allergens. And when

reactions are reduced, you get symptom relief.

 

Impotence. Impotence, or erectile dysfunction, is the inability to

achieve or maintain an erection for sexual penetration or sexual

satisfaction. Most men have experienced it at least once by the time

they are age 40.

 

Erections are the result of a complex combination of brain stimuli,

blood vessel and nerve function, and hormonal actions. Anything that

interferes with any of these factors can cause impotence. Psychological

factors such as stress, or side effects from drugs, can be the culprit.

(My unfortunate first time was at age 16: forest near Grandfather

Mountain, North Carolina; no blanket, probable rattlesnakes. In this

case, laughter by my partner, later to become my first wife, cured all.)

However, if poor geriatric circulation contributes to a case of

impotence, you could try ginkgo as a circulatory stimulant to boost the

blood flow to the penis.

 

Physicians have obtained very good results by prescribing 60 to 240

milligrams daily of a standardized ginkgo extract. In one nine-month

study, 78 percent of men with impotence due to atherosclerotic clogging

of the penile artery reported significant improvement without side

effects. In another six-month study, half of the men being treated with

ginkgo regained their erections.

 

Intermittent claudication (lameness). Intermittent claudication is

another name for the lameness or limping that accompanies or follows

short walks in the aging. The usual cause is a blockage or narrowing of

arteries in the legs due to atherosclerosis, the clogging up of arteries

associated with high cholesterol and thickened blood. Patients of

intermittent claudication find that they have to stop walking after a

set distance because of pain in the calves.

 

With its ability to improve circulation, ginkgo is the premier plant

medicine for intermittent claudication. It improves blood flow through

the legs just as it does through the heart and brain by opening

(dilating) the arteries.

 

Macular degeneration. Macular degeneration, a progressive, painless

disorder, is the leading cause of legal blindness for the elderly of the

United States. As eye cells break down, pigment and scar tissue

accumulate in the center of the retina of the eye, causing a blind spot.

Reading, driving, and even walking are impaired.

 

Ginkgo's strength in improving vision is its ability to fight the damage

done by free radicals in the sensitive tissues of the retina. Ginkgo can

also improve blood flow in the eye, where the retina demands a steady

supply of glucose and oxygen.

 

In one six-month study, people who received 80 milligrams of a

standardized ginkgo extract twice daily significantly improved their

long-distance vision. Another study suggests that ginkgo extract may

even reverse damage in the retina.

 

With my bilberry, ginkgo, and daily carrot to munch on, once again I

have a triple whammy to slow down the ravages of maculitis, which

recently led my first cousin Tom to surgery.

 

Migraines. Migraines are the Tyrannosaurus of headaches--there's almost

no stopping them. Pain may be so severe that symptoms include nausea and

vomiting.

 

Migraines are vascular headaches--that is, they are associated with the

supply of blood to the brain. Ginkgo can improve blood flow to the

brain, help maintain vascular tone, and keep blood vessels from leaking

inflammatory chemicals. In one study, ginkgo reduced headaches in 80

percent of the long-term migraine sufferers who took it.

 

Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., is a family practice physician at the University

of New Mexico Hospital, a professional member of the American Herbalists

Guild, and a member of the Alternative Medicine Research Group at the

University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque. She

acknowledges that ginkgo provides some people with relief from

migraines.

 

Dr. Low Dog speculates that ginkgo's ability to improve cerebral

circulation lessens initial vasoconstriction and consequent ischemia

(blood deficiency) associated with migraines.

 

Ginkgolides also act against the platelet activating factor, thus

blocking inflammation and allergic responses. For whatever reason,

ginkgo prevents migraines for some people.

 

Donald Brown, N.D., naturopathic physician and co-author of The Natural

Pharmacy, recommends ginkgo for migraines if his patients do not respond

first to the herb feverfew.

 

Raynaud's disease. This condition is similar to intermittent

claudication, but it more often involves the hands, not the legs, and it

is caused by poor blood flow brought on by cold temperatures and,

sometimes, emotion. People suffering from Raynaud's frequently have

frigid, stiff fingers, and it is more common among women than men.

 

Because there are ample European studies showing that ginkgo improves

blood circulation, European physicians frequently prescribe it for

Raynaud's. American doctors usually prescribe steroids, but I'd rather

try ginkgo instead of something that could have unpleasant side effects

such as weight gain, acne, and irregular heartbeat.

 

A CASE IN POINT

Taking a Longer Walk

 

In a study published in 1998, German researchers studied ginkgo's effect

on patients suffering from two conditions: peripheral occlusive arterial

disease, or a narrowing of blood vessels in the limbs, and intermittent

claudication, or lameness.

 

At the start, all patients could walk little more than 100 meters

without pain. Then, one group of patients was given ginkgo, and another

group took a placebo.

 

After 24 weeks of regular walking, the ginkgo-taking patients clearly

fared better. They increased their pain-free walking distance by about

50 percent. The placebo-taking control group, on the other hand, was

able to walk only about 25 percent farther than when they started the

study. The conclusions: Not only is ginkgo safe under these experimental

conditions, but it helps such patients walk farther, pain-free.

 

 

 

Tinnitus. A constant ringing, buzzing, or whistling sound in the ears

can be a problem for older people. Instead of responding to an outside

stimulus, the acoustic nerve is triggered by something internal. Thought

to be a result of poor circulation in the brain, tinnitus can be

relieved by ginkgo.

 

In one European study in the mid-1980s, all patients taking 320

milligrams of ginkgo daily for a month improved much more than those

taking a placebo.

 

Although some tinnitus sufferers have not been helped by ginkgo, Stephen

Nagler, M.D., director of the Southeastern Comprehensive Tinnitus Clinic

in Atlanta, says he expects some conclusive answers when the results of

the first large-scale study on the effectiveness of ginkgo for tinnitus,

being conducted at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom, are

published in the near future.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

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