Ginkgo Biloba

What Is Ginkgo Biloba??

Ginkgo is actually a large tree with fan-shaped leaves, and it is one of the most common herbs used for brain health today. It has been studied to be effective for cognitive enhancement and to also alleviate cognitive decline.

 

How Does Ginkgo Work??

 

Bilobalide and the ginkgolides are believed to be the key bioactive compounds in ginkgo. Ginkgo increases cerebral blood flow to the anterior and middle cerebral arteries, which can help augment the effects of other nootropics taken together with it. Ginkgo can promote nitric oxide formation leading to vasodilatory effects.

 

But What Are The Benefits Of Me Taking Ginkgo??

There is strong evidence that ginkgo can decrease cognitive decline. Multiple studies show that at doses between 240-360mg daily in individuals experiencing cognitive decline, the effects of ginkgo are reliably effective and also comparable to the medication donepezil at 10mg. There are many studies showing that ginkgo can cause a decrease in the cognitive impairments associated with Alzheimer’s. There is also strong evidence that ginkgo can increase short term memory as well as free recall. This is in individuals either with or without neurodegenerative diseases.

Studies show strong evidence of increase in cognition with supplementation of ginkgo. Improvements in subjective well being and mood has been noted in individuals taking ginkgo. Furthermore, symptoms of ADHD have been seen to be decreased with ginkgo supplementation. Both processing speed and accuracy have been seen to be improved with ginkgo supplementation. Improvements in reaction time have been noted as well.

 

 

Where Is The Proof For All These Great Benefits?!

A study in patients with Alzheimer’s disease of vascular origin dementia was done in which the patients were supplements with ginkgo for 24 weeks. This study showed that ginkgo improved cognitive as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms in these patients [1]. In another study done on individuals with memory complaints, ginkgo was seen to improve short term visual memory [2]. Studies show that even in healthy individuals without any neurodegenerative disease, 180mg ginkgo after 6 weeks improved memory and processing speed [3]. In healthy individuals, ginkgo also significantly improved quality of recall after 6 weeks [4]. Supplementation with ginkgo after 6 weeks is associated with improved recognition, recall, and face recognition tests [5]. Children with ADHD given 80-120mg ginkgo for 6 weeks were seen to have fewer symptoms of ADHD (in parental and teacher assessments). The effect was not as potent as Ritalin at 20-30mg, yet ginkgo was seen to be effective [6].

 

NEURO(X) contains 160mg of ginkgo biloba to help you remember better as well as improve your mood on a daily basis! This could enhance the quality of your day-to-day life, as you will be able to process information better and more accurately!

 

References:

  1. Ihl R, Tribanek M, Bachinskaya N; GOTADAY Study Group. Efficacy and tolerability of a once daily formulation of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: results from a randomised controlled trial. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2012 Mar;45(2):41-6. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1291217. Epub 2011 Nov 15. PMID: 22086747.
  2. Brautigam MR, Blommaert FA, Verleye G, Castermans J, Jansen Steur EN, Kleijnen J. Treatment of age-related memory complaints with Ginkgo biloba extract: a randomized double blind placebo-controlled study. Phytomedicine. 1998 Dec;5(6):425-34. doi: 10.1016/S0944-7113(98)80038-X. PMID: 23196025.
  3. Mix JA, Crews WD Jr. An examination of the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb761 on the neuropsychologic functioning of cognitively intact older adults. J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Jun;6(3):219-29. doi: 10.1089/acm.2000.6.219. PMID: 10890330.
  4. Kaschel R. Specific memory effects of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in middle-aged healthy volunteers. Phytomedicine. 2011 Nov 15;18(14):1202-7. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2011.06.021. Epub 2011 Jul 30. PMID: 21802920.
  5. Mix JA, Crews WD Jr. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in a sample of cognitively intact older adults: neuropsychological findings. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2002 Aug;17(6):267-77. doi: 10.1002/hup.412. PMID: 12404671.
  6. Salehi B, Imani R, Mohammadi MR, Fallah J, Mohammadi M, Ghanizadeh A, Tasviechi AA, Vossoughi A, Rezazadeh SA, Akhondzadeh S. Ginkgo biloba for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a double blind, randomized controlled trial. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Feb 1;34(1):76-80. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.09.026. Epub 2009 Oct 5. PMID: 19815048.