Ginkgo Biloba

The ginkgo tree, Ginkgo biloba L., is the last remaining member of the Ginkgoaceae, a family that once numbered many species. Having survived unchanged in China for more than 200 million years, ginkgo was brought to Europe in 1730 and since then has become a popular ornamental tree in parks and gardens throughout the world. Because of its hardiness, it even thrives along the heavily trafficked streets of some of our major cities. 

 It's regarded in eastern cultures as the "fountain of youth" plant . The herbs from the mystical plant are thought to improve health and memory. Easily dishtinguishable by the charachteristic two-lobed, fan-shaped deciduous leaves which turn deep yellow in autumn. Fruits arranged in clusters are golden yellow when ripe.

Ginkgo's fleshy seeds have been valued in China for their medicinal properties since 2800 B.C., but it is only in the last forty years that the leaves of this living fossil have been utilized extensively in Western medicine. Unlike many of the herbs in use today, ginkgo leaves are not used so much in their crude state as in the form of a concentrated, standardized ginkgo biloba extract (GBE). This extract has become a very popular drug in Europe, where it is widely used for its beneficial effects on the circulatory system. In fact, during 1988, physicians in Germany wrote more prescriptions (5.4 million) for GBE than for any other drug. It is also available there as an over-the-counter (OTC) drug.

Western interest in ginkgo has concentrated on the remarkable ability of the leaves to improve the circulation, especially poor circulation to the brain, and the herb's antiallergenic and antiinflammatory actions, which make it a particularly useful remedy for the treatment of asthma. Ginkgo is the best selling herbal medicine in France and Germany, where it is taken daily by millions of people from middle age onward to maintain and improve cerebral circulation and the memory and to reduce the possibility of a stroke. 
Ginkgo is probably one of the most useful herbs for the treatment of senile dementia. 

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