Ginkgo biloba brands
I have read that ginkgo biloba can help support memory but am not sure which brand to buy or what dosage to take? Can you please advise me?
Your question is timely in light of a recent report warning consumers that they could be wasting their money on certain brands of this herbal medicine which purport to support circulation and thus boost brain function but which, in fact, do not work.
In a survey of 18 ginkgo products currently sold in health shops, researchers at Newcastle University, who published their findings in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, concluded that most of the brands tested had little or no effect on patients. Worse, some of the preparations contained 50 times more of the active ingredient than other more popular brands.
This does not mean ginkgo biloba does not work, it simply means you have to do your research before you buy and make sure you are getting a good quality product that will provide the correct therapeutic dosage.
It is also one of the reasons that I make such specific product recommendations in this column, and include details on where to get those products, because unless you know what you are doing, you are very likely to be wasting your money.
Of the 18 ginkgo products tested, the one that rated the most effective was Pharma Nord's Bio-Biloba, which costs £19.50 for 60 capsules which provide a therapeutic dose of 100mg of ginkgo extract. Mail order from Revital (0800 252875).