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A skinned knee… my first impression of Ginkgo Biloba was not a positive one.
We had a single Ginkgo tree in our yard at my house growing up. It has fascinating leaves that turned bright yellow in the fall.
It measured about 20-25 feet tall, but at my age, it might as well have been a hundred feet. It looked as if someone had tried to cut it down or kill it years ago but it came back and remained strong. Ginkgo trees are known for their resilience, and this one had gotten the better of me that day.
I learned how to climb on that tree. It had a perfect pattern of branches that made it challenging, but possible to climb at my young age. My brother and I would see who could climb higher and this would determine who got to pick the outdoor game we played that day.
On this particular day, I was determined to climb higher than I had ever before. I reached my goal, but my foot slipped on one of the top branches and I fell about six feet, catching myself before falling to the ground. A little scar on my knee reminds me of that tree to this day.
Turns out, I should have been using the tree for more than climbing…
Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo tress are one of the oldest living tree species, with fan shaped leaves and inedible fruit. Its sweet and mildly astringent leaves have a long history in Chinese medicine and other traditional healing modalities. Recent research has discovered compounds called ginkgolides that are present in its leaves but not in any other known plant.
Researchers speculate that these compounds may account for the incredible resiliency of the Ginkgo Biloba plant. The tree is so resilient that it is the only tree to survive the blast at Hiroshima as a newly sprouted tree was found at the site of a completely destroyed tree soon after)
It is often used for memory and brain support, maintaining healthy blood and arteries and as an antioxidant. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains:
Ginkgo has a long history of being used in traditional medicine to treat blood disorders and improve memory, and it’s best known today as way to potentially keep your memory sharp. There is some scientific evidence to back that up. Laboratory studies have shown that it improves blood circulation by opening up blood vessels and making blood less sticky. It’s also an antioxidant.
For those reasons, ginkgo may improve vein and eye health. Although not all studies agree, it may help treat dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and intermittent claudication, or poor circulation in the legs. It may also protect memory in older adults.
The leaves have two types of chemicals (flavonoids and terpenoids) that are antioxidants. In your body, harmful particles called free radicals build up as you age, and may contribute to heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants like those found in ginkgo fight off free radicals, and stop them from damaging DNA and other cells. (1)
It is often suggested in alternative medicine for:
- Helping improve memory and protecting nerve cells in the brain (2, 3)
- One study showed that it helped improve vision for those with Glaucoma
- Another study found that it could help reduce the symptoms associated with claudication (clogged arteries) (4)
- I know women who swear by its ability to help reduce PMS symptoms
- Research found that those with Raynaud’s Syndrome noticed an improvement in symptoms from taking Ginkgo (compared to those taking a placebo)
- Therapeutically for those with Alzheimers (5)
- As a natural remedy for chronic tinnitus (6)
Important Cautions When Using Ginkgo
As with any herb or vitamin, it is important to talk to a doctor before using Ginkgo. Those with bleeding disorders, epilepsy, seizure disorders or other health conditions should not take it, nor should pregnant or nursing women, or children. Those taking any type of medication should check with a doctor to rule out interactions before taking.
How to Use Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo is available in many forms:
- As a mildly sweet herbal tea (I order in bulk for use as a tea but it also available in tea bags)
- In capsule form- this one is often recommended since it contains the standardized extract that has been most studied
- I’m considering planting a Ginkgo tree in our yard since they grow quickly, have beautiful leaves, and the kids can practice their climbing skills on it!
Ever used Ginko Biloba? Share below!
Would you be able to provide the link to the Pull supplement again? For some reason, whenever I click it, it take me to Amazon, but no product comes up.
This one?
Thanks for sharing the Ginkgo Tree pic Really neat how it grew into one big tree.I see that tall house you mention
that house would be really hard to clean gutter.Would be safest to have big lift truck with platform like they use to build highway overpasses with.Or use a safety harness and work from the roof(on the roof).I know your post is not about gutter cleaning techniques,but I find that interesting also.Thanks again for the post.
In fact, the fruits of the Ginkgo are edible. South Koreans eat it and use it as an ingredient in many dishes. However, it is known as a fact that one must not eat more than about 7 fruit per day or it will become poison.
I’ve been a fan of Ginkgo for over 10 years. For those who are considering to plant a tree be ware that female plants produce fruits which have terrible smell when squished (like mix of vomit and cat poop smell). So be sure to get a male plant.
Also leaves of Ginkgo younger than 7 years have low potency.
I’m using it under direction from my medical herbalist to support my body heal an internal bone fracture that is nearly a year old. I’m also taking horsetail (again under supervision) and it’s working!
Women should be cautious about using ginko biloba before menopause – it can cause really heavy periods by thickening the lining of the uterus. It is excellent in helping with poor circulation but that can have consequences.
interesting. I started using the pill form and my periods stopped coming and I would have long breaks I thought I was pregnant so I stopped using it.
Any suggestions on how to use Ginkgo Biloba if you have access to a tree?
My next door neighbor has about 5 trees in his front yard that were planted years ago and too close together. They have joined to create one giant tree with 5 main trunk grown together. Each trunk is 2 feet or more in diameter. It is beautiful in the Spring when it blooms and in the Fall when the leaves turn bright yellow. It tends to lose all the blossoms in about a 48 hour period and drops the leaves just as fast. The whole neighborhood has to be careful walking past on the sidewalk when the blossoms fall as they are very slippery.
I would be interested in learning how to make a tea, tincture or other means of using this tree for my health.
That sounds like an awesome tree! I would love a picture with the 5 trunks that you described.
Personally, I’ve harvested quite a few leaves and tried an alcohol tincture. It was very crude, but it’s possible and easy to do on your own.
You can also dry the leaves and brew them with other teas for flavor and you can gain the anti-oxidant benefits that way.
You actually get significant gingkolide and bilobalide.
Here you go! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16459046
I really would like to see that picture too! 😛
John,
I don’t currently have a camera, but here is a link to a street view on google maps.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1100+N+Ellis+St,+Peoria,+IL+61606/@40.70102,-89.602311,3a,52.5y,51.59h,99.71t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1skKoZzxx3kxejFKWzFlXjXg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x880a59694bcadbd9:0xc5fd2b601c8ea52b!6m1!1e1
You can see 3 distinct trunks from the front and on the back side there are 2 more. My memory wasn’t working when I posted above. It is the other tree in the pic, to your right from the huge ginkgo that blooms. It bloomed last week and is already bare of blooms again. The little tree in the next yard to your left is an ornamental crab apple and it is in full bloom this week.
To give you an idea of how big the ginkgo is, the house next door with the little crab apple tree in the front yard was built as a triplex. That house is so tall that a 6′ tall man cannot reach the gutters to clean them on a 30′ ladder. Take a good look at how much taller than that house the ginkgo is. The address where the tree is in the front yard is a 1 1/2 story bungalow.
Susan
That’s an amazing tree! Thanks for sharing! It’s awesome when people are as excited about these things like me! lol
Thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate how easy your article is to read, but that you also make sure to source scientific journals (so cool)!
Thanks!