Chinese medicine ginkgo

Ginkgolide B is one of the active components of ginkgo extract, which has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Ginkgo extracts are obtained from the ginkgo tree, an ancient tree native to the Orient, now introduced in Europe and the Americas as well. 

For centuries, the beneficial effects of crude extracts from the ginkgo tree were well known in China and India. In traditional Chinese medicine, a boiled-down extract of ginkgo leaves is inhaled to alleviate asthmatic symptoms, and, in India, ginkgo extracts constitute a key ingredient of Soma, a mystical liquid that is thought to increase life span.5 The Japanese know it as the Itcho tree and they frequently use its edible fruit, the ginkgo nut, in cooking. 

This section will briefly review research progress on natural substances investigated for possible efficacy against dementia. The botanical that is best known in this regard is the ancient species Ginkgo biloba, which has been employed in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treatment of memory loss and other indications for more than five millennia. More than... 

Silk tree bark contains the compound 4-O-methylpyridoxine, a compound that can cause vitamin B deficiency symptoms and is believed to be responsible for the toxic effects (seizures and gastrointestinal symptoms) of ginkgo seed consumption (see Ginkgo biloba seed entry) (Mooney et al. 2009 Wada et al. 1985). No toxic effects of silk tree bark have been reported in association with use in traditional Chinese medicine (Bensky et al. 2004 Chen and Chen 2004). 

A text on traditional Chinese medicine indicates that ginkgo seed should be used with caution during pregnancy (Chen and Chen 2004). 

By far the most extensively studied herbal mixture with respect to brain function is Ginkgo biloba (EGb 761) [62-64]. Extracts of the leaves have been used for 5000 years in traditional Chinese medicine for various purposes. Flavonoids such as myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol are general components in Ginkgo biloba... 

Several traditional Chinese herb medicines, including Magnolia officinalis, Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM), and Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb), have been found to have beneficial effects for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Magnolol... 

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