origin

The ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) is believed to be the oldest plant species in the world and has existed on Earth for around 200 million years. It originates from China, where the oldest ginkgo tree, over 5,000 years old, is also found. Today, the ginkgo tree is cultivated worldwide. As the last surviving member of the plant genus "Ginkgaceae," the Ginkgo biloba is neither a deciduous nor a coniferous tree, making it a botanical phenomenon.

The Ginkgo biloba even has Goethe inspired to dedicate a poem to him:

"Ginkgo Biloba
This tree leaf, which from the east
Entrusted to my garden,
Gives secret meaning to taste,
How it edifies the knowledgeable.
Is it a living being?
That separated itself?
Are there two who choose each other,
That they are known as one?
To answer such questions
I think I found the right meaning.
Don't you feel in my songs,
That I am one and double?“

Its name comes from Japanese and is composed of the words “Gin” (silver) and “Kyo” (apricot) "Biloba," in turn, refers to the plant's two-part, fan-like leaf shape. The tree reaches a height of up to 30 meters and in autumn produces approximately 3 cm large, green-yellow fruits.

Due to its longevity and resilience, the Ginkgo biloba has always aroused the interest of Naturopathy and is also called a "living fossil" by botanists, having outlived the dinosaurs. Its resistance to heat, cold, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and environmental stress is impressive. It survived the ice ages in Japan and China and is still cultivated in Japan. “Tree of Hope” called: It was a Ginkgo biloba that survived charred only a few hundred meters from the site of the Hiroshima bomb impact and is said to have even bloomed again the following spring.

The German physician Engelbert Kämpfer had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Ginkgo biloba as a medicinal plant during his two-year stay in Japan and first reported on it in Europe in 1712. He gave the Japanese name “Gin Kyo” as "Ginkgo" again – this spelling has remained to this day. The physician and botanist Dr. Wilhelm Schwabe finally introduced the active ingredients of Ginkgo biloba into modern medicine.

In naturopathy, the seeds and extracts from the leaves are used.

Areas of application and mode of action

Ginkgo biloba is one of the most scientifically studied medicinal plants. Its leaves contain its active ingredients: Flavonoids (Quercetin, Kaempferol), Biflavonoids (gingetin, amentoflavone), 0.02-0.2% Diterpene lactones, which consist mainly of ginkgolides A, B and C, 0.02-0.06% Sesquiterpenes (including v.a. Bilobalide) and proanthocyanidins.

Unlike the other active ingredients mentioned, ginkgolides are not found in any other fruit. Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Elias James Corey was the one who succeeded Ginkgolides B to synthesize, a naturally occurring active ingredient in the ginkgo tree, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 5,000 years Treatment of asthma and circulatory problems serves.

In Chinese folk medicine, the use of Ginkgo biloba was described over 5000 years ago – namely u.a. at Intestinal diseases, cough, asthma, high blood pressure and against worm infestation.

In TCM, ginkgo leaves are used v.a. for four purposes: to move the blood, reduce water retention (edema), tonify the "heart qi," and to uplift the spirit. Both the seeds and roots of Ginkgo biloba are used. The latter v.a. at Menstrual problems, the former e.g. with flatulence, asthma, cough, tuberculosis, cystitis or pain when urinating.

A positive influence of ginkgo leaf extract on the Metabolism and blood circulation in the brain has now also been scientifically proven; for example, the EU HMPC monograph on the use of Ginkgo biloba in dementia states:

"The exact mechanism is unknown. Human pharmacological data show increased EEG alertness in geriatric subjects, a reduction in blood viscosity and improved cerebral perfusion in specific areas in healthy men (60-70 years of age), as well as a reduction in platelet aggregation. Additionally, vasodilatory effects on forearm blood vessels, causing increased regional blood flow, have been demonstrated." https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/final-european-union-herbal-monograph-ginkgo-biloba-l-folium_en.pdf

The German Pharmacist Newspaper states that Effect of Ginkgo biloba extract as follows:
"[this] has been extensively tested (in vitro and in animal experiments) and has shown a variety of, sometimes very different, effects."

Here are some of the effects on whose interaction the overall effect of the extract is based:

• improves microcirculation and reduces blood viscosity
• inhibits platelet aggregation and erythrocyte adhesion
• inactivates oxygen radicals
• improves glucose and oxygen uptake
• protects against toxic and oxidative stress and against beta-amyloid fractions (neuroprotection)
• increased concentration and memory according to a study
• Proven effectiveness in Alzheimer's symptoms

In the final report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care on the topic “Ginkgo-containing preparations for Alzheimer’s dementia” from 2008 states:

"For the therapeutic goal of "activities of daily living," the exclusive consideration of studies that used a dosage of 240 mg showed evidence of a benefit of Ginkgo biloba. For the therapeutic goal of "concomitant psychopathology," there is only evidence of a benefit of Ginkgo biloba for general psychopathology. There is no clear evidence, but only a tendency, for a positive influence of Ginkgo biloba on depression symptoms. For the therapeutic goal of "cognition,"“ The studies provide evidence of benefits from Ginkgo biloba.“ www.iqwig.de/download/A05-19B_Final_Report_Ginkgo-containing_Preparations_for_Alzheimer's_Dementia.pdf

Legal consumer information

German and European law seeks to protect consumers from supposedly misleading claims of effectiveness. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This ancient knowledge, handed down over thousands of years, is based on experience passed down from generation to generation. It is not intended to claim that the products described here have an effect in the sense of Western medicine. All products are dietary supplements; they are not medications and have no medical effect. If you are ill and require medical care, please consult your doctor or pharmacist.