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Ginkgo biloba and memory
I read recently that Ginkgo biloba can help recover a fading memory. Is this true and would it be safe for me to take (I am not on any other medications right now) or is there something even more effective?
I know herbalists and phytopharmacologists - scientists who specialise in the medicinal properties of herbs - who believe every man and woman over the age of 40 should be taking a daily dose of Ginkgo biloba to ward off dementia and keep brain function sharp.
Characterised as a mild to moderate vasoactive agent and now approved in Germany for the treatment of dementia, this Chinese herb became the third best-selling herbal product sold in health stores at the end of the 1990s - and this despite the fact that most of the trials that have been carried out to investigate its efficacy have been criticised as being flawed and for comprising too small a sample size.
While we may be bombarded with Chinese, Ayurvedic and even Rainforest herbs, I am a great believer in finding out about our own history of herbal medicine and while Wood betony (Betonica officcinalis) may be far less fashionable than Ginkgo, it is the one the traditional European herbalists would have used for older folk who wanted to hang on to precious memories.
In his wonderful tome, The Book of Herbal Wisdom, the US herbalist Matthew Wood writes: “Wood betony has a potent effect on the brain - it dilates the cerebral arteries, is one of the best remedies for headaches and can help correct memory loss.” It is also prescribed, in other slightly more eclectic reference in my library, for the treatment of a mysterious condition called “elf sickness!”
*Wood Betony by Herbs of Grace is available by mail order from Revital (0800-252875). 108 veggie capsules cost £15.25. Take four a day. Do not use this herb if you are pregnant or on medication. Do not give it to children. The Book Of Herbal Wisdom by Matthew Wood is published by North Atlantic Books.