Wild Rose College and Wholistic Clinic

(06/07/1999), Canada - By now most people know that Ginkgo is good for the memory. Yes, there have been many studies showing that the use of Ginkgo, especially the concentrated extracts, can improve memory quite a bit. But Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) as a herb has many more functions than memory enhancement.

Ginkgo is considered a living fossil, the species being some 200 million years old. It became extinct in Europe and North American during the Ice Ages. However, It has long been a source of medicine in China. In fact the nuts or seeds were consumed for lung congestion in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Perhaps the ancient Taoist monks had some vision of its future, as they planted it ceremonially in places of honor in their monastery. It was felt the two lobed fan-shaped leaf (biloba) represents the two phases of Yin/Yang in Taoist philosophy. It was planted to represent wisdom, centeredness and a meditative state. Were they foretelling its modern uses for brain and memory function?

It is hard to consider the present day use of Ginkgo as herbal use in the strictest sense of the word. We are really using an extreme concentrate of the leaves. It is more like a natural pharmaceutical, used by many herbalist and natural healers. It takes anywhere from 50 - 75 pounds of Ginkgo to make 1 pound of the concentrate, or Ginkgo biloba extract (GBX). What we are looking for, according to European research is a group of bioflavonoids called ginkgosides and a group of lactone terpenes. The standard for considering a product to be efficacious is 24% ginkgosides and 6% terpenes (ginkgolides). This makes standardization very important for this herb. If it doesn`t have these concentrations, it won`t have the same effect. It is important to note though that it is the combination of the constituents and not just one or two chemicals that make up its action.

Bioflavonoids have long been considered great antioxidants, specific for protecting the micro circulation in small vessels in our capillary beds. The bioflavinoids in Ginkgo are no different, they have a strong capability to protect and repair problems in the micro-circulation of the capillary bed. What makes Ginkgo special is that they have a stronger biological activity than most other bioflavonoid along with a specific affinity to the capillary beds of the brain.

The brain is one of the hungriest organs of our body. For proper function, it needs to be continuously bathed in oxygen and nutrient rich blood. Little malfunctions in the circulation of the capillary bed can cause all kinds of problems in the brain, memory being one of the most pronounced. By repairing these small malfunctions in brain circulation, ginkgo can increase brain function including memory. Ginkgo also has the capacity to increase the oxygen content of the blood. It has been shown that memory is enhanced in oxygen rich blood.

When it comes to brain function ginkgo goes even further. All neural functions in the brain are achieved by neural transmitters. Neural transmitters are the chemical mechanism that allows one neural unit to communicate with another. The better the neural transmission, the better memory and other functions of the brain work. Ginkgo both increases the amount of neural transmission and increases the amount of receptor sites for neural transmission. This dramatically increases functions in the brain such as memory.

Even though ginkgo is one of the most important herbs for the brain, it is important to understand that ginkgo doesn`t just go to the brain. The ginkgosides will work as herbal antioxidants throughout the body. The micro circulation of capillary beds throughout the body will be enhanced. This is why ginkgo can help all organs that are rich in blood supply. We can find that ginkgo is beneficial to the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and spleen. Ginkgo has also been shown to be specific for ringing in the ears (tinnitus), a very common but a difficult problem to solve. It also can be found beneficial for headache, vertigo (dizziness), hearing loss, depression, allergies, atherosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmias, diabetes, eczema, glaucoma, impotency, retinitis and neuralgia as well as the first stages of alzheimer`s.

It now appears that a much wider range of people could and maybe should consume ginkgo on an ongoing basis. By increase the function of the blood on a local level