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Ginko biloba


Lois

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Ginkgo leaves are a Chinese herb that has been used much more in the West than in China. The majority of studies on ginkgo leaf extract have involved a product produced by a German/French consortium, referred to in the scientific literature as EGb761. Ginkgo products are standardized to contain 24% of the bioflavonoids which occur in the leaf, as well as ginkgolides and bilobilides, a complex group of compounds found only in the ginkgo tree. Since virtually all research on ginkgo has involved high standardized extracts calibrated to specific quantities of chemical components, it is not possible to apply information from studies on the standardized extracts to ginkgo leaf itself. The complex extract itself, rather than a single isolated component, is believed to be responsible for Ginkgo's biological activity.

Uses

Active ingredients in Ginkgo biloba extract demonstrate both antioxidant properties and inhibit platelets from sticking together. Platelets are involved in blood clotting. These are properties shared by aspirin and other prescription medications directed at inhibiting platelet clotting. Ginkgo has been touted to be helpful in a number of conditions including:

Short term memory improvement

Depression

Impotence

Intermittent Claudicating *

Asthma

 

* What is claudication? Claudication is pain in the calf or thigh muscle that occurs after you have walked a certain distance, such as a block or two. The pain stops after you rest for a while. Each time the pain occurs, it takes about the same amount of time for the pain to go away after you stop walking.

 

Randomized, double blind studies with a control and treatment group (the type of studies accepted as most scientifically valid) have not been conducted for most other conditions claimed to be helped by Ginko.

Efficacy appears to be similar to that of a group of prescription medications known as Cholinesterase inhibitors used improve dementia symptoms. These medications are thought to work by decreasing the breakdown of acetylcholine by the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Currently, two cholinesterase inhibitors are available for use in treating Alzheimer's disease: tacrine (Cognex) and donepezil (Aricept). Several others, such as metrifonate and rivastigmine, are in the late stages of development and testing. Effects are modest at best: a good response to either drug will return the patient's function to the level that was present between six and 12 months before medication was started. 3

Ginko has not yet been shown to be beneficial in improving memory in healthy persons without dementia nor have studies been conducted to show whether long term use can prevent dementia.

Ginko has not yet been shown to be beneficial in improving memory in healthy persons without dementia nor have studies been conducted to show whether long term use can prevent dementia.

 

http://your-doctor.com/patient_info/altern...inkobiloba.html

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