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GINKGO BILOBA
An Ancient Tree For The Young and Old
This amazing tree is the source of great hope for aging
patients with signs and symptoms of insufficient blood supply to the brain. These symptoms include senility, short-term memory loss, vertigo, and
headache, ringing in the ears, lack of cerebral blood flow, which is extremely common in
the geriatric population due to the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
The Ginkgo is the worlds oldest living tree, a species whose existence can be traced back
over 200 million years! For this reason, the Ginkgo is often referred to as
"The Living Fossil". Even individual trees may live as long a 1,000 years or
older. The Ginkgo is associated with longevity and it has incredible resistance to
environmental factors. It also appears that taking a concentrated extract of Ginkgo Biloba
leaves may promote longevity and resistance to aging in humans. Ginkgo's
pharmacological activity is due to its high content of terpenes, flavanoids, pro-dither,
quercetin, and Ginkgo Heterosides (flaviglycerides). Ginkgo Biloba extract has
demonstrated remarkable pharmacological action on different parts of the circulatory and
nervous system (arteries, capillaries, veins, and heart). Its effects include enhancement
of energy, increase of cellular glucose intake, and lubricating of platelet aggregation.
Ginkgo Biloba also promotes radical scavenging activity, increased blood flow to
the brain, and improved transmission of nerve signals. In clinical patients both
chronic cerebral arterial insufficiency and/or peripheral arterial insufficiency
responded favorable to Ginkgo Biloba extract. Furthermore, since Ginkgo Biloba extract
improves some same aspects of neural transmission, it may be effective in certain
cases of senility, including early stages of Alzheimer disease.
In a large open trial including 112 geriatric patients with chronic cerebral
insufficiency, Ginkgo Biloba extract, at 120 mg. per day, displayed a statistically significant regression of the major cerebral
vascular insufficiency symptoms, these symptoms included; short term memory loss, vertigo,
headache, ringing in ears, lack of vigilance, and depression. Symptoms of decreased
cerebral blood flow are extremely common in the senior population, due to the
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The significant regression of these symptoms
offered by Ginkgo Biloba suggests that vascular insufficiency may be the causative factor,
accounting for "age related cerebral disorders.' It appears that the improved
vertebral blood flow from Ginkgo Biloba provides an increase in oxygen and glucose
supplied to the brain. This offers relief from the presumed side effects of aging and may
offer significant protection against development of these symptoms. Ginkgo Biloba
extract has been shown in clinical studies to increase the rate at which information is
transmitted at the nerve cell level. In Hindmarch and Sudhan's double blind study,
the time of reaction even in healthy young women performing a memory test was
significantly improved after administration of Ginkgo Biloba extract. In another double
blind clinic study, Ginkgo Biloba extract was shown to produce restoration of vigilance to
approximately normal levels together with improved mental performance correlated with
improvements in FEG tracings. The patients with a more unfavorable initial situation (as
measured in resting EEG activity) displayed the greatest improvement. The conclusion of
the study was: "The results show that chronic Ginkgo Biloba extract usage has a
positive effect in geriatric subjects with deterioration of mental performance and
vigilance. This effect is reflected at the behavioral level. Ginkgo Biloba extract may be
of great benefit to many cases of senility, including Alzheimers."
In recent studies, Ginkgo Biloba has demonstrated an ability to neutralize free radicals.
Free radicals are directly implicated in the aging process as in many other debilitating
conditions. Oxygen scavengers are among the best substances used to prevent the formation
of free radicals. The flavanoids of Ginkgo inducing geucetin, are extremely potent oxygen
scanners. Possessing a particular affinity for the central nervous system as well as the
adrenal, and thyroid glands, concentrated Ginkgo Biloba is ideally suited for use in
protecting heart, blood vessels, and brain against the destructive influence of free
radicals. Research has shown that Ginkgo Biloba extract significantly prevents the onset
and severity of visual impairment, probably because of its effect on free radicals. In
other research involving the visual apparatus, Ginkgo has likewise demonstrated
anti-radical properties. For example, one team of researchers found that Ginkgo Biloba
extract significantly improved long distance visual activity in patients suffering from
senile macular degeneration (a troublesome opacity of the pupils that occurs in elderly
people).
In 1980, it was discovered that Ginkgo Biloba extract effectively reduced the tendency of
blood components to stick together, therefore, it reduced the tendency for dangerous clots
or thrombi to form in veins and arteries. The ability to inhibit blood clotting implied,
of course, that Ginkgo Biloba extract was probably an effective agent in the prevention of
coronary thrombosis and in recovery from strokes and heart attacks, etc.
Problems of the inner ear stem from some underlying vascular defect. In one study, Ginkgo
Biloba was given to persons suffering from hearing loss due to old age (presbyacusia), patients with
persistent ringing in the ears, and patients with vertigo. Improved hearing was
experienced by 40% of the presbyacusia patients. Those that didn't respond were assumed to
have irreversible lesions of the sensory structures of the inner ear. Most of the patients
with ringing in the ears experienced significant improvement within ten (10) to twenty
(20) days. The action of Ginkgo Biloba on cerebral circulation resulted in swift and
complete disappearance of vertigo.
New Sun's Ginkgo Biloba is a 60mg of 50:1 extract 90 or
900 cap sizes
SINGLE HERBS INDEX
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