What is Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba extract comes from the leaves of a tree called a… ginkgo biloba tree. While they are slightly endangered, they are a protected tree around the world and have been on this planet for more than 270 million years.
Naturally harvesting the leaves of this tree is sustainable and does not put the trees in any further endangerment. This tree is used for many medicinal purposes around the world and it’s nuts are even eaten for some occasions.
Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba
Powerful Antioxidants
Antioxidants play an important role in our immune system for eliminating free radicals. Free radical particles damage healthy tissue in the body and are thought to play a role in some cancers and tumors.
Antioxidants remove these and keep the tissues in your body free of corrosive damage. Ginkgo Biloba is loaded with these antioxidants and could be a major contributor to it’s medicinal benefits.
Not everything is known about this however, and more research must be concluded in order to fully understand the role ginkgo bilobas antioxidant properties play in it’s benefits.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Inflammation is a natural process in which the body uses to isolate and eliminate foreign/harmful substances from the body. For instance if you get a splinter, the immune system will inflame the surrounding area to make sure contaminants don’t spread to other parts of the body and that certain cells get to the area and start eating away at the foreign substance.
However, this can go wrong when the immune system starts attacking the bodies own, healthy, cells; or when the inflammation doesn’t go away after the substance has been dealt with, making it chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been associated with arthritis, IBD, Cancer, Heart disease, and stroke.
This makes anti-inflammatory properties pretty important, especially because the symptoms are sometimes hard to point out due to the fact that inflammation can happen all over your body. Kinda like the difference between stubbing your toe and having it hurt really bad in that one spot, or having full body aches where the pain is less intense, but harder to know exactly why.
Ginkgo Biloba is not known to be a cure for those diseases mentioned previously, however it has been shown to reduce inflammation in people who suffer from those particular diseases. Not a cure, but can make it a little more bearable.
Improved Circulation and Heart Health
Even in ancient times they would use the seeds of ginkgo biloba to open up the veins and arteries to allow nutrients to get to the brain, kidneys, and other organs. However they used slightly different wording (replace blood with energy and veins and arteries with channels for said energy).
No matter how they explained it, it was doing the same thing however, it was improving circulation of blood and heart health. It does this though the dilation of veins and arteries, allowing more blood to pass through them.
It could be because of the anti-inflammatory benefits of this amazing plant, however the exact reason is not entirely known. Studies that have been done show an almost immediate increase in blood flow and about a 12% increase in nitric oxide, which is responsible for dilating blood vessels.
Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety is a disorder that is becoming more commonplace in today’s society. There are things that can be done to mitigate the effects of this disorder however, and ginkgo biloba is very promising in this field.
A double blind study conducted by
Help With Depression
Depression is a major condition with the mind. It’s extremely complex and is not the same for everyone.
That being said, there have been some animal studies that show ginkgo biloba has a positive effect on treating symptoms of depression. It’s suggested that it’s because of the anti-inflammatory effects and being able to regulate the stress hormone called cortisol which can have very negative effects on the brain when under constant stress.
Ginkgo Biloba Dosage
Understanding how much to take is crucial to the success of the supplement. This is because even though it has all those benefits, if you don’t take enough then it wont matter; and if you take too much then you could be extremely uncomfortable or worse depending on how much.
The most popular doses are about 120-240mg spread out throughout the day. This way you’re able to absorb it all instead of only absorbing a little before your body can’t anymore, and just wasting the money down the drain.
Ginkgo Biloba Side Effects
As with all supplements, there are a few side effects that are associated with taking it. However in comparison to some other supplements and especially medications the side effect list is pretty small.
Possible side effects include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Stomach Pain
- Rach/Allergic Reaction
These side effects are common for people who take way too much or are on some other medications that may interfere with Ginkgo Biloba. Some of those medication are:
- Blood Thinners (like aspirin or warfarin)
- NSAIDS (like ibuprofen or tylenol)
- Some anti-depressants (prozac or other)