Ginkgo Biloba is a plant-based active ingredient that has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. You can learn about its effects in this article.
Concentration problems, declining memory performance, tinnitus, or seizures are considered typical signs of aging. However, younger people can also be affected by these complaints, as their causes are diverse. With Ginkgo Biloba, nature offers an effective antidote that has been in use for centuries.
Table of Contents
- Origin and History of Ginkgo Biloba
- Ingredients of Ginkgo Biloba
- Applications of Ginkgo Biloba
- The Blood Circulation-Promoting Effect of Ginkgo Biloba
- What to Pay Attention to When Using It
1. Origin and History of Ginkgo Biloba
The use of Ginkgo Biloba dates back to ancient China. Here, healers utilized the powers of a tree that combines numerous unique features. The Ginkgo is a one-of-a-kind in the plant kingdom.
Its biological characteristics have remained unchanged since the Paleozoic era, making it a living fossil. We are talking about the Ginkgo - a tree that can live to be over 1,000 years old. In East Asia, almost all parts of the plant have great significance.
Here, primarily the leaves are valued. They contain a variety of health-promoting active ingredients, which are concentrated in Ginkgo extract and are often taken as a dietary supplement.
2. Ingredients of Ginkgo Biloba
The largest share of the effect of Ginkgo leaves is attributed to flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol, as well as ginkgolides A, B, C, J, and M, which are found only in Ginkgo. In addition, the foliage of the trees contains tannins, alicyclic acids, and essential oils.
To utilize these ingredients for pharmaceutical applications, the fresh green leaves of the Ginkgo must be collected and subjected to a gentle extraction process.
This is done either by drying, in hot water, or through maceration in alcohol or oil. Through professional processing, the concentrate becomes a modern prophylactic, auxiliary, and therapeutic agent that can be used in various key areas of medicine.
3. Applications of Ginkgo Biloba
The areas of application for the leaf concentrate are extremely diverse. Primarily, the blood circulation-promoting, antioxidant, and germicidal properties of the Ginkgo plant are utilized.
It possesses a natural resistance to all microorganisms, so adult trees are well protected against pest infestation. Neither bacteria, fungi, and spores nor predators and environmental toxins can harm them.
For this reason, Ginkgo Biloba is also often advertised as a support for the immune system. Furthermore, the active ingredients in the leaves ward off free radicals – thus combating the most common cause of premature skin aging and deeper cell damage.
4. The blood circulation-promoting effect of Ginkgo Biloba
Its most well-known area of application is in the field of nutritional supplements for normal memory performance and the nerves. Here, the ingredients of Ginkgo leaves work in two ways:
Firstly, they support the flow properties of the blood.
Secondly, they increase its ability to absorb oxygen. In this way, Ginkgo extract is said to have an effect on concentration ability.
5. What you should pay attention to when using it
To avoid unwanted side effects, you should ideally make sure to purchase only certified products. The ginkgolic acid contained in ginkgo leaves can cause severe irritation of the skin and mucous membranes.
In this regard, teas are considered particularly dangerous, as they are not subject to control, unlike medicines. There are also observation results regarding interactions.
For example, the German Medical Association's Drug Commission warns against the simultaneous use of anticoagulants and points out an increased risk of bleeding in cases of inherited or acquired coagulation disorders.
6. Conclusion
Ginkgo Biloba is a plant that has been used for many years in traditional Chinese medicine and has a particularly positive effect on blood circulation.
In our country, the plant is primarily used as a dietary supplement and is considered an insider tip for boosting one's concentration. However, this effect has not yet been definitively scientifically proven.
Sources
- A. Vanbeek: Ginkgo Biloba (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Industrial Profiles). CRC Press, 2000
- Rudolf Hänsel, Otto Sticher (Eds.): Pharmakognosie. Phytopharmazie. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg 2009
- Stefan Weinmann et al.: Effects of Ginkgo biloba in dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis. In: BMC Geriatrics. 2010
- Arzneimittelkommission der Deutschen Ärzteschaft: From the UAW-Database: Bleeding under the administration of Ginkgo biloba extracts. Caution in combination with anticoagulants! Deutsches Ärzteblatt, Volume 99, Issue 33, August 16, 2002
All our articles are written by nutritionists and checked for content quality by expert specialists.
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