“Ginkgo has been used in traditional medicine to treat circulatory disorders and enhance memory. Scientific studies throughout the years lend support to these traditional uses. Emerging evidence suggests that GB may be particularly effective in treating ailments associated with decreased blood flow to the brain, particularly in elderly individuals. Laboratory studies have shown that GBE improves blood circulation by dilating blood vessels and reducing the stickiness of blood platelets.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease/ Memory Impairment

Ginkgo is widely used in Europe for treating dementia. The reason that ginkgo is thought to be helpful for preventing or treating these brain disorders is because it improves blood flow in the brain and because of its antioxidant properties.

Clinical studies suggest that ginkgo provides the following benefits for people with AD:

• Improvement in thinking, learning, and memory
  
• Improvement in activities of daily living
  
• Improvement in social behavior
  
• Fewer feelings of depression
  

Eye problems

The flavonoids found in ginkgo may help halt or lessen some retinal problems (that is, problems to the back part of the eye). Retinal damage has a number of potential causes, including diabetes and macular degeneration. Macular degeneration (often called age-related macular degeneration or ARMD) is a progressive, degenerative eye disease that tends to affect older adults and is the number one cause of blindness in the United States. Studies suggest that gingko may help preserve vision in those with ARMD.

Intermittent Claudication

Because ginkgo is reputed to improve blood flow, this herb has been studied in people with intermittent claudication (pain caused by inadequate blood flow [atherosclerosis] to the legs). People with this condition have difficulty walking without suffering extreme pain. An analysis of eight published studies revealed that people taking ginkgo tend to walk roughly 34 meters farther than those taking placebo. In fact, ginkgo has been shown to be as effective as a leading medication in improving pain-free walking distance. However, regular walking exercises are more beneficial than ginkgo in improving walking distance. Solution- combine walking with ginkgo.”

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER- http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsHerbs/GinkgoBilobach.html

“There are simple herbs that can be used for the recovery of the sick, whose effect upon the system is very different from that of those drugs that poison the blood and endanger life.” Counsels Repeated