Ginkgo Biloba History
Ginkgo biloba is our oldest species of tree. It is estimated to have lived some 200 million years ago. Fossils have been found that date as far back as the Permian period of the Paleozoic era. It is the only surviving species of the family Ginkgoaceae. It is a native of the Far East where the tree was brought back from near extinction through its cultivation for medicinal uses. It was brought to America in the late 1700's and has primarily been used here as an ornamental.
This is a very hardy, dioecious tree with light green fan shaped leaves. It can reach heights up to 125 feet and is extremely hardy, as it is resistant to many insects, diseases and pollution. Individual trees have been known to live as long as 1000 years. Female trees produce fruit in the autumn months. This fruit is plum shaped and orangish/tan in color.
The leaves and inner seed of the fruit have been reported as having medicinal qualities, however the fruit's pulp is considered toxic (see Averse Effects) and should be handled with care.
The seed has been used for approximately 3000 years in China for it's curative powers. It was traditionally used for the treatment of asthma and other respiratory ailments. More recently, extensive research on the herb has been conducted on the healing properties of the leaf extract. Germany and France have run literally hundreds of studies on the leaf extract. These studies along with similar studies in America, have shown significant results. The extract of Ginkgo biloba has been studied for its effectiveness in the treatment of Acrocyanosis, Alzheimer's disease, Cerebral atherosclerosis, Cerebral insufficiencies, Cochlear deafness, Dementia, Depression, Menopause, Peripheral and cerebral circulatory stimulation, Peripheral vascular disease, Raynaud's syndrome, Retinopathy, Senility, Short-term memory loss, Tinnitus, Vascular Diseases, and Vertigo (see Clinical Studies).
It is a commonly prescribed herb in Europe and is often used as one source of phytomedicines.
Due to different cultivation and harvesting methods it is generally thought that the best quality of leaves are obtained from plantations located in Europe and America. It is not considered an herb to grow yourself for medicinal usage, as the quantities to obtain the potency levels needed are quite large. It should also be noted, that there are seasonal variations in active constituent content of the leaves. Autumn is thought by some to be the best time for harvesting in this regard.
It is said to be effective in improving the blood flow to the hands and the feet as well as stimulating the brain and reducing short-term memory loss. It increases blood flow to the brain, the uptake of glucose by brain cells, and has been said to improve the transmission of nerve signals. In studies, Ginkgo biloba has been reported as demonstrating anti-oxidant abilities with improvements of the platelet and nerve cell functions and blood flow to the nervous system and brain. It has also been reported as reducing blood viscosity. It's ability to increase vascular dilation, may help reduce retinal damage due to macular degradation and may reverse deafness caused by reduced blood flow (see Clinical Studies).
Medicinal parts: Fresh or dried-leaf and seed.
The average Ginkgo biloba preparation is a 50:1 extract standardized to 24% of the Ginkgo flavone glycosides. This is made from the leaves and usually extracted with acetone and water.
The World wide sales of Ginkgo biloba (extract taken from the leaves) was reported as reaching an estimated U.S. $500 million in 1991. In Europe, commercially available preparations based on the commercial product EGb 761 had a turnover of about $500 million a year estimated in 1993.1 It has been reported that the sales in the United States reached approximately $240 million in 1997.2
Biochemical Constituents - Flavonoid glycosides (such as quercetin and kaempferol) and diterpenes - including the terpene structures called ginkgolides (A, B, and C) and bilobalide. Pro-anthocyanidins, hetrerosides, bioflavones (such as sciaopitysin, ginkgetin, isoginkgentin, bilobetin, and ginkgolic acid), essential oil, and tannins.
Biochemical Constituents - Detailed - Acacetin, acenapthene, acetic-acid, afzelin, alanine, amentoflavone, g-aminobutyric-acid, anacardic-acid, apigenin, arabinose, arginine, ascorbic-acid, ash, asparagine, aspartic-acid, betulaprenols, bilobalide, bilobanone, bilobetin, bilobol, butyric-acid, calcium, calcium-oxalate, caproic-acid, caprylic-acid, carbohydrates, cardanol, cardol, beta-carotene, d-catechin, ceryl-alcohol tw, citric-acid, copper, p-coumaric-acid, p-cymene, cysteine, cystine, -(e)-dihydroatlantone jsg, -(z)-dihydroatlantone jsg, -dimethyl--diiso-propylbenzene, dna - fl(male), docosanol, elemol, l-epicatechin, l-epigallocatechin, alpha-ethyllathosterol, beta-eudesmol, gamma-eudesmol, fat, fiber, formic-acid, fructose, gadoleic-acid, galactose, d-gallocatechin, ginkgetin, ginkgol, ginkgolic-acid, ginkgolide-a, ginkgolide-acid, ginkgolide-b, ginkgolide-c, ginkgolide-m, ginnol, ginnon, d-glucaric-acid, glucomannan, glucose, glutamic-acid, glycine, -heptacosanol, hexacosanol, alpha-hexenal, histidine, homoserine, hydroginkgolic-acid, -hydroxyanacardic-acid, -hydroxyginkgolic-acid, -hydroxykynurenic-acid, alpha-ionone, beta-ionone, ipuranol, iron, isoginkgetin, isoleucine, -isopropylphenol, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, kaempferol--o-alpha('''-p-coumaroyl-glucosyl-beta--rhamnoside), kaempferol--rhamno-glucoside, kaempferol-rutinoside, leucine, trans-linalool-oxide, linoleic-acid, alpha-linolenic-acid, luteolin, lysine, magnesium, manganese, mannan, mannose, methionine, '-methoxybilobetin '-methoxypyridoxine, '-o-methylmyricetin-rutinoside, myristic-acid, niacin, nonacosane, -nonacosanol, nonacosanol, octacosanol, oleic-acid, -(e)--oxo-dihydroatlantone, palmitic-acid, palmitoleic-acid, pantothenic-acid -(pentadec--enyl)--di-hydroxybenzoic-acid, zz'-(-pentadien--diyl)diphenol, pentosans, pentosans, phenylalanine, phosphorus, pinitol, pulnin, tassium, procyanidin, prodelphinidin, proline, propionic-acid, protein, quercetin, quercetin--o-alpha('''-p-coumaroyl-glucosyl-beta--rhamnoside), quercetin-rhamnoglucoside, quercetin--rutinoside quinic-acid, raffinose, riboflavin, sciadopitysin, sequoyitol, serine, alpha-sesamin, shikimic-acid, sitosterol, sodium, spinasterol, starch, stearic-acid, stigmasterol, succinic-acid, sucrose, tannin, thiamin, threonine, thymol, p-tolyl-propylene, tricetin, -trimethyl-dihydronaphthalene, tryptophan, tyrosine, uroshiols valerianic-acid, valine, wax, xylose, zinc3/ 4