Gingko biloba, Maidenhair tree

Common names

Maidenhair tree, Kew tree, Fossil tree

Medicinal uses

Cerebral insufficiency, intermittent claudication, tinnitus, poor circulation (please see Glossary)

Benefits

Cerebral insufficiency, intermittent claudication.

The ginkgolides present in the leaf help alleviate the adverse effects of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in a number of tissues and organs because they competitively inhibit the binding of PAF to its membrane receptor. Clinical trials have demonstrated that ginkgo preparations are effective in the treatment of arterial insufficiency, particularly in the lower limbs and brain. Patients with intermittent claudication showed significant improvements in pain-free walking time and maximum walking distance. Elderly patients with chronic cerebral insufficiency demonstrated a significant regression of major symptoms including vertigo, tinnitus, headache, short-term memory, vigilance and mood changes. However, heart rate, blood pressure and blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were unaffected, and the extract had no effect on normal healthy subjects. Ginkgo has been shown to improve glucose utilisation within the brain. It improves the transmission of nerve impulses and increases alertness by increasing the brain's alpha wave rhythms and decreasing theta rhythms. It has a demonstrable effect on the venous system too and is used to treat conditions such as varicose veins.

Ginkgo alleviates male impotence where the underlying cause is impaired blood circulation to erectile tissue; initial signs of improvement were seen to commence after 8 weeks of Ginkgo biloba supplementation and, after 6 months, 50% of patients had regained potency.

Recent research has shown that the extract GBE from the yellow autumn leaves contains a vitamin that strengthens blood vessels, reduces the production of tissue-damaging free radicals and improves cellular energy. The bioflavonoids protect and maintain the integrity of capillary walls, inhibit lipid peroxidation within cell membranes, stabilise the cell membranes involved in the blood-brain barrier, destroy free radicals and inactivate their formation. Ginkgo has been shown to improve eyesight in senile macular degeneration and to neutralise the effects of oxygen free radicals produced in the eyes. 

In European clinical trials, improvements in allergic responses such as asthma have been observed. Ginkgo is thought to alleviate allergies by inhibiting the activity of eosinophils, an action attributed to Ginkgolide B. Its ability to reduce inflammation may make it valuable in the future for conditions such as autoimmune problems, multiple sclerosis and organ transplants. Some anti-tumour activity against sarcoma in mice has been recorded.

Other uses

Ginkgo is the sole survivor of a primitive order of plants dating from 200 million years ago. One reason for its longevity is its ability to withstand insects, disease and pollution due to the unique mix of pharmacologically active compounds in its leaves. The earliest record of its medicinal use is in ‘Chen Houng Pen T’sao’ published in 2800 BC. The Chinese recommend the leaves as being beneficial to the heart and lungs and use it to treat asthma, chilblains and as an anti-tussive and expectorant. They use the seeds, bai guo, in asthmatic disorders and chesty coughs with a thick phlegm. They also appear to act as a tonic to the bladder and have been used in the treatment of urinary incontinence and frequency.

Warnings

Not to be used in conjunction with anti-coagulant medicines such as warfarin or aspirin as well as cardiac glycosides and antidiabetic drugs

References

Bartram, T. 1995 Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 1st edn.,Grace Publishers, Bournemouth.

Bremness, L. 1994 Herbs, Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Handbook, London.

BHMA 1983 British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, BHMA, Bournemouth.

Chevallier, A. 1996 The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Grieve, M. 1931 A Modern Herbal, (ed. C.F. Leyel 1985), London.

Hoffmann, D. 1990 The New Holistic Herbal, Second Edition, Element, Shaftesbury.

Hyperhealth 1996 Natural Health and Nutrition Databank, v.96.1 CD-ROM, ©In-Tele-Health, available from Healthworks, Leeds. ISBN 0-646-30942-0

Lust, J. 1990 The Herb Book, Bantam, London.

Mabey, R. (ed.) 1991 The Complete New Herbal, Penguin, London.

Mills, S.Y. 1993 The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine, Penguin, London (First published in 1991 as Out of the Earth, Arkana)

Mills, S.Y. 1993 The A-Z of Modern Herbalism, Diamond Books, London.

Ody, P. 1993 The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Polunin, M. and Robbins, C. 1992 The Natural Pharmacy, Dorling Kindersley, London.

Vickery, R. 1995 A Dictionary of Plant Lore, Oxford University Press.

Weiss, R.F. 1991 Herbal Medicine, Beaconsfield Arcanum, Beaconsfield.

Wren, R.C. 1988 Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, C.W.Daniel, Saffron Walden.

Special thanks to www.purplesage.org.uk