Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract:
Based on German Commission E monograph and American Botanical Council
information material and summarized by Bernd Wollschlaeger, M.D., Diplomate American Board
of Family Practice.
The statements presented have not
been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Product:
Ginkgo leaf species almost vanished during the Ice Age but survived in China. Chinese
recognized its medical properties thousands of years ago. Today, Ginkgo is grown for
pharmaceutical purposes in plantations in South Carolina, Japan, France and South Korea.
The dried, green picked leaves of the American product are shipped to Europe for
processing.Ginkgo products are an acetone –extract of dried leaves from the Ginkgo
biloba tree.
Properties:
- Two classes of chemicals in ginkgo leaf extract (Flavenoids and Terpenoids)
- Flavenoids(ginkgoflavone glycoside) reduce capillary fragility and act as antioxidant.
- Terpenoids (ginkgolides and bilobalide) inhibit platelet-activating factor, an
endogenous mediator of processes like platelet aggregation and bronchospasm.
Experimental data suggest:
- Improvement of hypoxic tolerance in cerebral tissue.
- Reduction of retinal edema and lesions.
- Increased memory performance and learning capacity.
- Improvement of microcirculation.
- Improvement of the blood rheological properties.
- Inactivation of toxic oxygen radicals.
- Neuroprotective effect
Clinical Data suggest indication for:
- For treatment of memory deficits, cognitive dysfunction and social behavior in Alzheimer
Disease, disturbances of concentration, depressive emotional conditions, dizziness,
tinnitus, and headache. Target groups are dementia syndromes including primary
degenerative dementia, vascular dementia, and mixed forms of both. Note: Determine prior
to treatment whether the symptoms are associated with an underlying disease that would
benefit from another specific treatment.
- Improvement of pain-free walking distance in intermittent claudication.
- Vertigo and Tinnitus of vascular and involutional origin.
- Improved sexual dysfunction caused by SSRI.
- Limit one of the stimuli (platelet activating factor) that can produce bronchospasm and
airway edema in asthma.
Contraindication:
- Hypersensitivity to Ginkgo biloba preparations.
Side Effects:
- Stomach or intestinal discomfort, headaches (initially), or allergic skin reactions.
Precautions:
- No known restrictions but do not recommend treatment during pregnancy.
- Elderly patients using anticoagulants (bleeding)
Interactions with other medications:
- Can potentiate the effect of anticoagulant (warfarin) and antithrombotic (NSAIDs,
Aspirin) drugs.
Daily Dosage and Administration:
- Standardized extract should contain 24% flavenoids and 6% terpenes. Product available in
liquid form or capsules containing 40mg of the ginkgo leaf extract.
- Cerebral dysfunction: 120-240mg in 2–3 doses.
- Claudication and Vertigo: 120-160mg in 2-3 doses.
- Sexual dysfunction: 60-240mg in 2 doses.
Duration of Application:
- Cerebral dysfunction: 8 weeks to 3-months.Monthly review of continued administration.
- Claudication: not less than 6 weeks to 3 month.
- Vertigo and Tinnitus: no therapeutic benefit after 6-8 weeks of application.
Overdose:
- Not known. Ginkgo seeds and fruit pulp are toxic if ingested and skin contact can lead
to an allergic dermatologic response.
Special Warnings:
- None including drivers and operators of heavy equipment.
- Case reports of retinal hemorrhage.
Click here to
return to Home Page