I was trying to remember what to write, and then I realized I haven’t been taking Ginkgo Biloba this week. If you are familiar with this supplement, then you may have just chuckled. Ginkgo biloba has a relationship with your memory, in case you are not finding my opening line comical. Don’t worry; I have just taken some now and remember what I wanted to tell you.
You will soon know exactly what this ancient tree is used for and its benefits.
My daily routine didn’t consist of Ginkgo Biloba for a while because I found it too complicated to pronounce. For that reason, I was too afraid to try it. However, upon doing some research, I gave it a try. Should you try it? Read along, and hopefully, you will have the answer you are looking for.
WHAT IS GINKGO BILOBA?
The short answer is a tree native to China with a long history in traditional Chinese medicine. However, not just any tree, though, is a living fossil with some of the fossils going all the way back 270 million years ago. Sometimes I wish I was a ginkgo tree because they can live up to 3,000 years old. The oldest one actually recorded was 3,500 years old.
China ended up rediscovering the tree a little over 300 years ago in 1691. You may have heard it be called another name. A very common name is also the maidenhair tree. The shape of its leaves is where the name Biloba came from. Biloba is Latin for two lobes. “Bis” means double, and “Loba” means leaf.
Reaching around a total height as high as 165 feet for some of the really big ones. The leaves are where the ginkgo Biloba extract comes from. Then the extract is sold in supplement form. I find stuff like this fascinating. A tree that can help with your memory!
WHAT IS GINKGO BILOBA EXTRACT USED FOR
The most common uses are Dementia, anxiety, and depression. Ginkgo biloba is also known to treat altitude sickness.
Dementia really isn’t something you should depend on ginkgo Biloba fixing because there have been many studies on this. Almost 40 different trials with thousands of people, and the outcome was unreliable. The number of people totals almost ten thousand in all the studies to date. These studies so far conclude ginkgo Biloba should not be used as a treatment or recommended for dementia.
Anxiety has a little better direct effect, according to studies with patients who have taken ginkgo Biloba. In 2007 a study was done and found people who had a general anxiety disorder and took ginkgo Biloba had better anxiety relief. In the study, ginkgo Biloba special extract EGb 761 was used.
Ginkgo biloba EGb extracts are just well-defined extracts from the plant. In this study, one hundred and seven patients were given 480 mg, 240mg or placebo of ginkgo Biloba for four weeks. For more in-depth you can find here the ginko biloba special extract EGB study.
Depression also has some good evidence with ginkgo Biloba working. A great example would be a study done on post-stroke depression. You may have heard the term PSD before, and this is very common for stroke survivors.
Patients were assigned randomly to this experiment. The patients received ginkgo Biloba extract along with venlafaxine. The study was done over a two-month period. Each group had forty PSD patients in total. When this study concluded, they found depressive symptoms, living function, and neurological defects improved significantly in both groups.
If you would like to read more in-depth of this study you can find the ginkgo biloba study for depression here.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY TO TAKE GINKGO BILOBA
You should really try and focus more on what you take ginkgo Biloba with. I personally take almost all my supplements with a meal and think that is something you may want to pay more attention to than the actual time of the day.
Taking ginkgo Biloba with a meal and a full glass of water helps with absorption.
If you are taking ginkgo Biloba on an empty stomach, that is also fine. Some supplements you definitely don’t want to take on an empty stomach, but this supplement is ok as I have done it many times and felt fine.
I would recommend you keep track of the day you started taking ginkgo Biloba because sometimes it can take up to a month to see results.
Now that you know the best time to take ginkgo Biloba, keep in mind you should be careful if you are on any other medications. Especially if you are taking some blood thinners or seizure medication.
The reason for this is medications that already slow your blood from clotting interacting with ginkgo Biloba may increase bleeding or bruising.
IS GINKGO BILOBA FDA APPROVED
In the United States, where I live, ginkgo is marketed as a dietary supplement and regulated by the FDA. The regulations for prescription and over-the-counter drugs vs. dietary supplements are different. The federal law here in the United States does not require dietary supplements to go through the same standards.
The FDA doesn’t approve dietary supplements although they do have a say in regulating them.
They will randomly inspect dietary supplement facilities where they are manufactured to ensure the companies are meeting the labeling requirements. Websites are also reviewed by the FDA to make sure claims are accurate.
For anything that is found unsafe, the FDA can take action to remove it from the market. This isn’t something they are doing with Ginkgo, they are allowing it to stay on the market.
WHERE DO GINKGO BILOBA TREES GROW
You would find most of them in the world located in the forests of China. This is why it has been a traditional Chinese medicine for many years. Although you can find trees in other parts of the world.
North America started seeing the Ginkgo trees in the late 1700s. If you really want to see one, then you will want to look in the eastern and midwestern US.
The oldest tree in the United States is located in Philadelphia in a garden called Bartrams. How old is it? Well, much older than you and I. The Tree is almost 250 years old now.
IS GINKGO BILOBA GOOD FOR MALE ENHANCEMENT
You would think so since ginkgo Biloba directly affects blood flow. There have actually been some good studies on this. In an open study, ginkgo Biloba extract was found to be 84% effective….wow! Ok, that sounds great, but this was specifically for antidepressant-induced. Sorry guys, but women were more responsive to the sexually enhancing effects of ginkgo Biloba than men were.
Some other good news you may want to hear. Of all four sexual phases such as Excitement, desire, orgasm, and resolution, ginkgo Biloba had a positive effect on all these phases.
If you would like to read more in-depth of this study, here it is ginkgo biloba for sexual dysfunction.
Ginkgo biloba has a positive impact on blood flow and may indeed help with sexual dysfunction, but there really isn’t a ton of research to prove this.
There are specific medications I’m sure you have heard of such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra you may want to speak to your doctor about that lets just say REALLY improve blood flow!
IS TAKING GINKGO BILOBA SAFE?
Generally yes, when taken in supplement form from a company with a great reputation that tests products for purity. Just make sure you are taking a good extracted form and not the roasted seed. Eating fresh seeds is very dangerous.
Maybe you have read some of my other articles. The common thing you will hear me say is how almost anything has side effects if you take too much. A dose is not set in stone, but you will see the range start as low as 40 milligrams three times a day.
On the higher end, studies are using up to 600 milligrams daily. I personally started even lower than the supplement I bought recommended. Then worked my way up to make sure I felt fine.
You can only get ginkgo from the tree and not naturally in foods like some other supplements I have written about.
TIMES YOU MAY NOT WANT TO TAKE IT
- Pregnant It is recommended to stay away from ginkgo, especially closer to birth time. In 2006 a group of doctors did a bunch of research. With the evidence, they determined it should be used with caution during pregnancy. (1)
- Seizures This isn’t that big of a study but in 2001, 2 patients started having seizures again upon taking ginkgo. Once they stopped, they were seizure-free months later. There is a neurotoxin in ginkgo called ginkgotoxin. Researchers think this may trigger seizures.
- Before surgery Ginkgo could potentially cause bleeding for longer than usual after surgery.
.
DON’T EAT RAW OR ROASTED GINKGO SEEDS
You may be wondering why it’s ok to take ginkgo Biloba extract but it’s not ok to eat the actual ginkgo Biloba seeds. I thought the same thing at first and especially after I heard the seeds were poisonous. They seeds contain a toxin called ginkotoxin which you should stay away from or you may find yourself vomiting.
The reason it ok to take ginkgo Biloba extract is that the supplement is coming from the leaves, which contain very small amounts and shouldn’t be harmful to anyone who consumes it.
Especially if you are known to have seizures or epileptic, then definitely avoid ginkgo Biloba. This ginkgotoxin I mentioned above can cause seizures. If you eat too many ginkgo Biloba nuts, here are the 3 main symptoms most people have.
- Allergic skin reactions are common for some people and this is why people that are familiar with the nut will usually use some gloves just in case.
- Difficulty breathing could also lead to an even worse case of death if you eat an extremely large amount.
- Vomiting or diarrhea is the most common symptoms that occur around 12 hours after consuming the ginkgo Biloba nuts.
It is very important to note that nearly 7 out of 10 cases of poisoning from ginkgo Biloba nuts are in children.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF TAKING GINKGO BILOBA?
The most common benefit, and the reason I take it is for memory. There are a good amount of studies done on Ginkgo Biloba. Researchers think that with the improved blood flow ginkgo provides to the brain. As a result, your cognitive function is improved. Cognitive functions are thinking, remembering, and learning to name a few.
If you are having problems with anxiety, you may want to try this supplement. In the 2007 Ginkgo Biloba study. I mentioned above. One hundred and seven patients with an anxiety disorder were given randomized doses of 480 mg and 240 mg. After four weeks, they concluded the results showed a big drop in anxiety. This was one of the reasons I started taking ginkgo Biloba after I discovered this study.
A very scary eye condition called glaucoma may have some good benefits. Some antioxidants reduce retinal degeneration by improving blood flow. For example, researchers found ginkgo Biloba to increase ocular blood flow in some patients with glaucoma.
GINKGO BILOBA AND TINNITUS
If you are not familiar with what tinnitus is. Tinnitus is when your ears will not stop ringing, like the day after a loud concert. I’m very familiar with this and had it during high school. Although most people don’t get it from a concert and are usually stress-related. One of the most annoying things you will ever go through.
Me, I fixed it by changing my diet and lifestyle along with getting rid of unwanted stress.
So does ginkgo Biloba help with tinnitus? Well, unfortunately, most of the research and study’s out here say no. You will still see supplements claiming that it does, and maybe it does for some people so why not give it a try right?
There is a study you may want to read because there were some good results with taking ginkgo Biloba for tinnitus. In 2001 a study with 1121 healthy people ranging from 18-70 with tinnitus was done.
For three months of treatment with either ginkgo Biloba extract or placebo three times a day.
The result was 34 of the participants reporting that their tinnitus from the ginkgo Biloba extract was not as bad after the 3-month treatment. Yes, I know this isn’t a lot of positive results but you can only imagine how happy those 34 people were!
BEST GINKGO BILOBA SUPPLEMENTS
Now that you have a better understanding of what ginkgo is. I have put together a few supplement choices I think are the best options. The first one is based on budget and quality.
Option number two is an all-around memory supplement with a little higher price tag, although I think still worth it. The last one is for someone who likes to make shakes. I used this one in my post-workout shake.
You can purchase ginkgo Biloba in a few different options.
- capsule
- tablet
- powder
- liquid
- caplet
BEST ON A BUDGET
This was the first one I purchased: outstanding quality and extremely affordable Ginkgo. So when I did the math and realized it could last me around eight months and be under 15 dollars, I had to get it! Why not at least give this ginkgo Biloba supplement a try at such an affordable price? Also, a third party has tested this ginkgo Biloba extract for purity. So you know you are getting quality.
.
.
.
BEST ALL-AROUND BRAIN SUPPORT
A very popular option with a few different ingredients. This one has a good amount of an herb called Bacopa monnieri extract. In 2010 almost 100 participants over the age of 55 took place in a study. They found that Bacopa significantly improved learning and memory.
This is by far my favorite ginkgo Biloba supplement based on not only the ginkgo Biloba extract but the added ingredients.
BEST IN POWDER FORM AND PURE GINKGO BILOBA
This one is very easy just to put a scoop into your protein shake. I do this and barely notice the taste. You may want to try this ginkgo Biloba extract because it has nothing else added in. this way, after around one month you will know if and how it is working for you.
FINAL WORD
There is definitely some evidence that taking Ginkgo Biloba can increase memory and improve blood flow to the brain. I have taken it, and I felt sharper. For this reason, I’m getting some more and will continue to use it. Of course, this isn’t guaranteeing you will feel sharper. You should at least give it a try and start from the low end on dosage and see how you feel. A great traditional Chinese medicine used for many years.
You have many different options out there on the market to choose from. Maybe start with a pretty basic ginkgo supplement with not too many other ingredients added in. That way, you will know if it’s the ginkgo Biloba working or not.
I have other great articles you may be interested in if you are interested in more than just improving your memory.
- If you are having problems controlling your stress levels, you should read my Aswagandha Root benefits article.
- Not being able to fall asleep can be very frustrating. So you may want to check out Foods with Melatonin.
- Are you worried about high cholesterol levels? Then I have some information you should see here Foods for high cholesterol
This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used! Learn more on my Privacy Policy Page.