Active Ingredient Ginkgo (ginkgo Biloba L.)

the only specie of the genus ginkgo, family ginkgoacea. it is the source of extracts of medicinal interest, especially egb 761. ginkgo may refer to the genus or species.

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: ginkgo (ginkgo biloba l.)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
background retinopathy unspecified	early study suggests ginkgo biloba extract may offer benefit to individuals with retinopathy. further clinical trials are required to determine efficacy.	c
cardiovascular disease unspecified	animal and limited human data suggest a role in heart blood flow. more research is needed in this area.	c
cerebral artery occlusion unspecified with cerebral infarction	laboratory studies suggest that ginkgo may be helpful immediately following strokes because of possible antioxidant or blood vessel effects. however, initial study of ginkgo in people having strokes found a lack of benefit. further research is needed in this area.	c
cocaine dependence	one small study reports no benefit of ginkgo for cocaine independence.	d
dementias	the scientific literature overall does suggest that ginkgo benefits people with early stage alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, and may be as helpful as acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs such as donepezil (aricept ). well-designed research comparing ginkgo to prescription drug therapies is needed.	a
glaucoma	it is not clear if ginkgo may improve intraocular pressure and blood flow in patients with glaucoma. some study results conflict or have not been significant. further research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
macular degeneration (senile) of retina unspecified	preliminary research suggests that ginkgo may improve eye blood flow, although it remains unclear if macular degeneration is significantly affected by ginkgo. more research is needed in this area before a conclusion can be drawn.	c
memory loss	it remains unclear if ginkgo is effective. further well-designed research is needed as existing study results conflict.	c
mental disorders	the results of one study investigating the effect of ginkgo biloba on post-prandial mental alertness are unclear. ginkgo may benefit some but not all endpoints. further clinical trials are required before recommendations can be made.	d
multiple sclerosis	based on laboratory study, it has been suggested that ginkgo may provide benefit in multiple sclerosis (ms). human research is limited to several small studies, which have not found consistent benefit. additional research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
other and unspecified effects of high altitude	a small amount of poorly designed research reports benefits of ginkgo for the treatment of altitude (mountain) sickness. additional study is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
other specified types of schizophrenia	in early study ginkgo was shown to be effective in the treatment of patients with acute hemorrhoidal attacks. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
peripheral vascular disease unspecified	numerous studies suggest that ginkgo biloba taken by mouth causes small improvements in claudication symptoms (leg pain with exercise or at rest due to clogged arteries). however, ginkgo may not be as helpful for this condition as exercise therapy or prescription drugs. additional evidence is needed.	a
postinflammatory pulmonary fibrosis	based on early study, ginkgo may be effective in treating pulmonary interstitial fibrosis. further research is needed to confirm these results.	c
premenstrual tension syndromes	initial study in women with premenstrual syndrome or breast discomfort suggests that ginkgo may relieve symptoms including emotional upset. further well-designed research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
psychosexual dysfunction	ginkgo has been used and studied for the treatment of sexual dysfunction in men and women. in general, studies are small and not well designed. additional research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
raynaud's syndrome	results from one clinical trial suggest that ginkgo biloba may be effective in reducing the number of raynaud's attacks in patients suffering from raynaud's disease. in order to confirm these results, further clinical trials are required.	c
tinnitus	there is conflicting research regarding the use of ginkgo for tinnitus. additional well-designed research is needed in order to resolve this controversy.	c
toxic diffuse goiter	ginkgo may decrease damage to cells caused by radioiodine therapy in patients with graves' disease. further study is needed.	c
unspecified adverse effect of other drug, medicinal and biological substance	in limited human study, ginkgo has been examined in addition to 5-fluorouracil (5-fu) in the treatment of pancreatic and colorectal cancer, to measure possible benefits on side effects. at this time, there is a lack of conclusive evidence in this area.	c
unspecified cerebrovascular disease	multiple clinical trials have evaluated ginkgo for a syndrome called "cerebral insufficiency." this condition, more commonly diagnosed in europe than the united states, may include poor concentration, confusion, absent-mindedness, decreased physical performance, fatigue, headache, dizziness, depression, and anxiety. it is believed that cerebral insufficiency is caused by decreased blood flow to the brain due to clogged blood vessels. some research reports benefits of ginkgo in patients with	b
unspecified hearing loss	preliminary clinical study has been conducted on the effect of ginkgo in chronic cochleovestibular disorders. further research is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
vertigo	a small amount of poorly designed research reports benefits of ginkgo for the treatment of vertigo. additional study is needed before a recommendation can be made.	c
vitiligo	early study using oral ginkgo biloba extract reports that ginkgo appears to arrest the progression of this disease. better-designed studies are needed to confirm these results.	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.