Ginko

Author's product rating:   

Side effects	Medium
Effectiveness	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Increased mental awareness, improved circulation, good for asthma, may help Alzheimers and Parkinsons
Disadvantages:	Expensive, not suitable for those with hypotension or diabetes

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Ginkgo Biloba is one of the lesser known herbal supplements currently available, which is surprising given the amount of health benefits attributed to it. As it tends to live in the shadow of more highly publicised herbs such as Saint Johns Wort, Echinacea and Ginseng, many people who could potentially benefit from it have never heard of it – I hope some of those people will be reading this op!

The Ginkgo tree first appeared around 190 million years ago and is thought to be one of the oldest trees on Earth, surviving all changes that have occurred in that time. The tree itself can grow up to 30 metres in height and 7 metres in breadth, with fan shaped leaves that have led to it being called the “maidenhair tree”. The leaves themselves are in two lobes (bilobed), which is where the name Ginkgo Biloba comes from. The use of Ginkgo has been a part of Chinese medicine for around 5000 years, and its use has been well documented over the centuries. In fact, the Ginkgo is even considered to be a sacred tree in the East and has become an object of veneration (old Ginkgoes are worshipped like Gods in Japan), symbolising changelessness, hope, love and the immeasurable past. Charles Darwin referred to this tree as "a living fossil" because of its properties associated with longevity.

As I have mentioned, the health benefits claimed for Ginkgo are many and varied. Firstly, it is the only herbal nootropic (mind enhancer), which improves overall mental awareness and manifests itself in improved memory, reasoning, learning ability, hand-eye coordination and concentration – for this reason, it is becoming increasingly popular amongst students wishing to improve exam performance. Recent research at Surrey University by Professor Ian Hindmarch has produced astonishing results, demonstrating that Ginkgo Biloba can significantly improve short term memory by increasing the level of arousal of the brain in as little as a few hours after taking the supplement.

Secondly, the herbs have anti-oxidant activity (from the Ginkgo flavone glycosides which help capture free radicals at the retinal and cerebral level) and help to maintain a healthy circulation, especially to the extremities. Ginkgo protects against vascular disorders near to or on the surface of the skin, helping the blood to move freely and reducing the likelihood of disorders such as weakened capillaries, blood seeping, rashes, clotting and thrombosis. In addition to this, regularly taking the herb helps to maintain energy and well being, boosts ATP synthesis, can help to combat migraine, improves the elasticity of blood vessels, inhibits hypersensitiveness that can trigger asthma and has even been reported to have therapeutic effects on age related conditions such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

As a dietary supplement for adults, Ginkgo Biloba should be taken between one and three times a day (check strength and dosage instruction on the packet first though!) with food. Vegetarians who wish to avoid the gelatine capsules may open them and sprinkle over food. The herb needs to be taken regularly for consistent results, and although some people will notice benefits relatively quickly, users should allow up to 12 weeks for optimal benefits.

I first took Ginkgo supplements a while ago when I was studying for my A levels – I had heard about the miraculous memory boosting and concentration improving effects attributed to the herb and decided to take advantage of it myself. As anyone who has ever done A levels will know, you feel as if you need every bit of help going! I also felt that the promises of improved energy and well being and better circulation (I have poor blood flow to my hands and feet, meaning they are usually uncomfortably cold) would certainly be of benefit to me. Following the dosage instructions on the pack I bought, I took the tablets twice daily with breakfast and dinner during a particularly intense part of my course and waited for the increased mental awareness to take effect.

Unfortunately however, I was unable to take the Ginkgo long enough for it to have any effect on my studies - shortly after beginning the course of the herb, I found myself experiencing persistent daily headaches. While this was certainly a nuisance, I didn’t at first link taking the supplement with the headaches, as I had been a chronic headache sufferer for most of my life and on the receiving end of migraines for part of that time – in other words, at stressful times such as this, I would have been surprised if I wasn’t getting regular headaches! It was only when I forgot to take my Ginkgo tablets for a couple of days and the headaches eased up that the realisation dawned on me. Needless to say, I stopped taking the herbs immediately, but what had caused such a negative reaction in me, when I had only ever heard good things about Ginkgo Biloba?

This was not an easy question to answer, as every source I seemed to find on the herb only ever sang its praises, and never mentioned any health warnings or side effects of it – even now, most internet sites do not contain any such information. It is only recently that I have found that Ginkgo Biloba should be avoided by people with hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure – which is why my circulation is poor), which I had at the time I tried taking it, and that in rare cases it can cause headaches, stomach upset and allergic skin reactions. I have so far been unable to find an explanation for this, but it is safe to advise anybody considering taking Gingko to think again if they have low blood pressure, chronic headaches or are insulin dependent diabetics – on the plus side though, there are no reported drug interactions with this supplement.

This is therefore a difficult product to give a Ciao rating to. Ginkgo Biloba has so many potential benefits and I have heard some really positive comments from other people who have taken it – my situation was very unusual and I have not heard of anyone else reacting to the herb in the way I did. I hope my final analysis of it was fair, and I would recommend it to anyone without the medical conditions I have described above! Prices vary, but expect to pay around £9 for 120 tablets.

For more information on Gingko, visit:
www.healthreaction.com/web/ginkgobiloba.htm
www.excelnutrition.co.uk/herbal/ginkgo.htm
www.wellbeing.co.uk
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/