Ginkgo ~ Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo

Latin name: Ginkgo biloba

Family: Ginkgoaceae

Part used: leaf

Habitat: native to China and Japan; cultivated elsewhere

Main constituents: lignans, flavonoids, terpenes

Energetics: slightly sour

Main herbal actions: speeds nerve repair and re-innervation of muscle; antioxidant, anti-inflammatory

Minor herbal actions: antiatherosclerotic, antioxidant, increases blood flow to brain and limbs, antiasthmatic, platelet activating factor antagonist

Main medicinal uses: asthma, hypoxia, impaired mental function, senile dementia, and cerebral insufficiency

Minor medicinal uses: strokes, migraines, tinnitus, vertigo, diabetic retinopathy and other ocular diseases, Raynauds disease, varicose veins

Preparations: standardized extract (24% flavone glycosides): 120 mg; powder in capsules: 5 grams (Khalsa) (Standardized extracts processed to remove ginkolic acid)

Contraindications: hemophilia

Toxicity: may cause dermatitis (ginkolic acid), increased bleeding time, headaches, lengthening of menstrual cycle, and GI upset; overdose: irritability, restlessness, diarrhea, vomiting

Sources: Sharol Tilgner, N.D.: Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth; Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations