The ‘power’ of ginkgo in improving memory

What is a ginkgo tree?

Ginkgo is one of the oldest trees, dating back to nearly 200 million years ago. Although ginkgo is extinct in the wild, it is still widely cultivated for its seeds and leaves. Since 5,000 years ago, ginkgo leaves have been used in traditional Chinese medicine, but it is not until the last 20 years that studies by modern scientific methods on the biological activities of these plants have begun. ingredients in ginkgo leaves.

Raw ginkgo berries are poisonous, but when cooked, they become delicious food

Uses of ginkgo biloba

The main component of ginkgo is flavonoids – a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger. Flavonoids help improve blood circulation by dilating blood vessels and reducing platelet stickiness.

Ginkgo is commonly used to treat memory disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. As for Alzheimer’s disease, until now, scientists still do not fully understand what causes the disease. Suspicions focus on age-related oxidative damage. For this reason, the flavonoid component is useful in preventing oxidative nerve cell damage. Another hypothesis is that Alzheimer’s is the result of inflammation, and that ginkgo is a potent anti-PAF agent with anti-inflammatory effects.

In addition, people find ginkgo to bring a lot of health benefits such as:

Reduces Anxiety and Stress: Ginkgo extract can help relieve symptoms of anxiety when used for 4 weeks.

Improves memory: Some studies show that taking ginkgo extract for 1 year can improve memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease and other causes.

Improve eyesight for people with diabetes: Using ginkgo leaf extract for 6 months can improve vision for people with retinal damage due to diabetes.

Improve symptoms of dizziness and balance disorder: Some people with dizziness or balance disorder can take ginkgo extract to improve.

Reducing symptoms of schizophrenia: Research shows that taking a combination medication and ginkgo extract can both reduce symptoms of schizophrenia and reduce side effects associated with psychotropic medications.

Why use standardized Ginkgo biloba extract (Egb 761)?

In addition to the beneficial active ingredients, it is found in ginkgo that there are also substances that can be toxic. Glycolic acid is the toxic substance in ginkgo. This substance is present in many ginkgo berries, causing people to warn that this fruit is quite toxic. When uncooked, ginkgo berries can cause convulsions and even death if consumed in large quantities. In Asia, people cook the ginkgo seeds to eat, which helps to remove the toxins in the ginkgo but also eliminates the pharmacological effects.

Standardized active ingredient Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) is extracted from ginkgo leaves

Currently, ginkgo extracts used in medicine are often standardized to retain beneficial components, eliminating harmful ones. In particular, beneficial ingredients must be retained in the appropriate proportions as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The ratio was standardized to 24% flavonoid glycosides and 6% terpenoids. At the same time, it is also necessary to remove as much of the ingredient that has the potential to cause adverse side effects, which is Glycolic acid.

Standardized Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) is a ginkgo biloba leaf extract with the most appropriate composition according to WHO recommendations with a balanced content of 2 beneficial ingredients to help improve cognition, improve memory, and at the same time The content of harmful substances is also at a minimum that can allow patients to use it for a long time without experiencing side effects.

To date, there have been four large studies on the benefits of standardized Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) showing the effect of this extract in people with cognitive dysfunction due to aging or disease.

In people with very mild cognitive impairment, standardized Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) improved attention span, improved memory, and improved anxiety and insomnia. In cognitively normal older adults, standardized active ingredient Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) also enhances memory, enhances cognitive and mental performance.

Another study also found that standardized Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) increased the ability to focus attention and remember more. Thus, standardized Ginkgo biloba (Egb 761) not only works for people with cognitive impairment but also for normal healthy people, this active ingredient also brings many benefits.