Circulation ginkgo biloba

These days everybody is talking about ginkgo biloba, a concentrate made from the extracts of the leaves of a tree that has been around for over two hundred million years. The species was brought from China to Europe in the eighteenth century, and it became a popular decorative tree. It also serves a medicinal purpose. The leaves are picked, dried, and ground to a powder. This powder is extracted with an acetone-water mixture, and then these solvents are evaporated off. The residue that remains is compacted into a variety of pills. Several components of this residue may have beneficial effects in particular, they may improve circulation to the brain. Clinical studies have confirmed that ginkgo extracts dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow in arteries and capillaries. Two classes of... 

Ginkgo biloba has become popular bccau.se of its putative abilities to increase peripheral and cerebral circulation. ITic herb is called an adaptogen, a drug that helps persons handle stress. In the periphery, the hertj has been compared to pentoxifylline. If the properties arc true, the herb could be used for intermittent claudication. If cerebral blood flow can be increased with Ginkgo biloba. the herb might be useful... 

Ginkgo biloba Promoted mainly to sharpen mental focus in otherwise healthy adults and also in people with dementia Improvement of blood flow in brain and peripheral circulation... 

Ginkgo biloba (GB) is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. It is purported to improve blood flow to the brain and to improve peripheral circulation. It is promoted mainly to sharpen mental focus in otherwise healthy adults as well as in those with dementia. Other conditions for which it is currently used are diabetes-related circulatory disorders, impotence, and vertigo. 

As a general precaution, ginkgo biloba may increase the risk of excessive bleeding, especially for people with blood circulation disorders and for those taking ibuprofen, aspirin, or other anti-coagulants. 

Traditional Chinese physicians used ginkgo leaves to treat asthma and chilblains. Today, G. biloba is used to improve both blood flow to the brain and peripheral circulation (see Chapter 36). 

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