Ginkgo Biloba In Herbal Medicine
Other Common Names: Ginkgo, Icho, Ityo, Maidenhair Tree, Pai Kuo, Yin Hsing, Yin Kuo, Ginkgo biloba
Range: E. Asia - N. China
Habitat: Found wild in only 2 localities at Guizhou and on the Anhui/Zhejiang border, where it grows on rich sandy soils.
Composition: Seed (Dry weight) - Water: 0 Calories: 403
Protein: 10.4 Fat: 3.3 Carbohydrate: 83 Fiber: 1.3 Ash: 3.5 Calcium: 11
Phosphorus: 327 Iron: 2.6 Sodium: 15 Potassium: 1139 Vitamin A: 392
Thiamine: 0.52 Riboflavin: 0.26 Niacin: 6.1 Vitamin C: 54
Ginkgo has a long history of medicinal use in traditional Chinese
medicine, where the seed is most commonly used. Recent research into
the plant has discovered a range of medicinally active compounds in the
leaves and this has excited a lot of interest in the health-promoting
potential of the plant. In particular, the leaves stimulate the blood
circulation and have a tonic effect on the brain, reducing lethargy,
improving memory and giving an improved sense of well-being. They have
also been shown to be effective in improving peripheral arterial
circulation and in treating hearing disorders such as tinnitus where
these result from poor circulation or damage by free radicals. In 1989,
a product from Ginkgo biloba, often used for tinnitus, was the most
widely used medicine in West Germany, where more than 5 million
prescriptions were written.
Ginkgo is generally accepted as a remedy for minor deficits in brain
function, such as those that occur with advancing age. It is used to
improve concentration and combat short-term memory loss due to clogged
arteries in the brain, and to treat dizziness, headache, and emotional
hypersensitivity accompanied by anxiety.
The leaves contain ginkgolides, these are compounds that are unknown
in any other plant species. Ginkgolides inhibit allergic responses and
so are of use in treating disorders such as asthma. Eye disorders and
senility have also responded to treatment. The leaves are best
harvested in the late summer or early autumn just before they begin to
change color. They are dried for later use.
The fruit is antibacterial, antifungal, astringent, cancer,
digestive, expectorant, sedative, vermifuge. The fruit is macerated in
vegetable oil for 100 days and then the pulp is used in the treatment
of pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, bronchitis etc. (This report might
be referring to the seed rather than the fleshy fruit).
The cooked seed is antitussive, astringent and sedative. It is used
in the treatment of asthma, coughs with thick phlegm and urinary
incontinence. The raw seed is said to have anticancer activity and also
to be antivinous. It should be used with caution, however, due to
reports of toxicity. The cooked seeds stabilize spermatogenesis.
Seed - raw (in small quantities), or cooked. A soft and oily
texture, the seed has a sweet flavor and tastes somewhat like a large
pine nut. The baked seed makes very pleasant eating, it has a taste
rather like a cross between potatoes and sweet chestnuts. The seed can
be boiled and used in soups, porridges etc. It needs to be heated
before being eaten in order to destroy a mildly acrimonious principle.
Another report says that the seed can be eaten raw whilst another says
that large quantities of the seed are toxic. See the notes on toxicity
for more details. The raw seed is said to have a fish-like flavor. The
seed is rich in niacin. It is a good source of starch and protein, but
is low in fats. These fats are mostly unsaturated or monosaturated. A
more detailed nutritional analysis is available.
It is widely held that about one quarter of Western medicines are
derived from plants, although a recent study led by Francesca Grifo,
director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the
American Museum of Natural History, puts the figure closer to 60%. Most
Western plant-derived medicines, however, resulted from isolating
active ingredients and not from the complex compounds that make up most
herbal remedies. Some scientists apply the term "botanical" to any
product that contains ingredients of vegetable matter or its
constituents as a finished product.
Research continues to accumulate evidence for and against herbal
medicines. Scientific research on many herbal medicines has shown a
clear correlation with health benefits. For Ginkgo biloba, for example,
the NIH's Alternative Medicine report
cites more than nine published scientific studies, conducted mostly in
Europe, confirming ginkgo's effectiveness in improving cognitive
function and circulation, and in reducing the risk of cardiovascular
disease. The report also cites findings confirming the benefits of milk
thistle (Silybum marianum, used both to prevent and repair liver
damage), saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, effective against benign prostatic hypertrophy), and echinacea (Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia, found to have immune-enhancing and antibacterial properties), among others.
Known Hazards: The seed contains a mildly acrimonious
principle that is unstable when heated. It is therefore best to cook
the seed before eating it to ensure any possible toxicity is destroyed.
This acrimonious principle is probably 4'-methoxypyridoxine, which can
destroy vitamin B6. It is more toxic for children, but the raw nuts
would have to be eaten often over a period of time for the negative
effects to become apparent.
Other Common Names: Ginkgo, Icho, Ityo, Maidenhair Tree, Pai Kuo, Yin Hsing, Yin Kuo, Ginkgo biloba
Range: E. Asia - N. China
Habitat: Found wild in only 2 localities at Guizhou and on the Anhui/Zhejiang border, where it grows on rich sandy soils.
Composition: Seed (Dry weight) - Water: 0 Calories: 403
Protein: 10.4 Fat: 3.3 Carbohydrate: 83 Fiber: 1.3 Ash: 3.5 Calcium: 11
Phosphorus: 327 Iron: 2.6 Sodium: 15 Potassium: 1139 Vitamin A: 392
Thiamine: 0.52 Riboflavin: 0.26 Niacin: 6.1 Vitamin C: 54
Ginkgo has a long history of medicinal use in traditional Chinese
medicine, where the seed is most commonly used. Recent research into
the plant has discovered a range of medicinally active compounds in the
leaves and this has excited a lot of interest in the health-promoting
potential of the plant. In particular, the leaves stimulate the blood
circulation and have a tonic effect on the brain, reducing lethargy,
improving memory and giving an improved sense of well-being. They have
also been shown to be effective in improving peripheral arterial
circulation and in treating hearing disorders such as tinnitus where
these result from poor circulation or damage by free radicals. In 1989,
a product from Ginkgo biloba, often used for tinnitus, was the most
widely used medicine in West Germany, where more than 5 million
prescriptions were written.
Ginkgo is generally accepted as a remedy for minor deficits in brain
function, such as those that occur with advancing age. It is used to
improve concentration and combat short-term memory loss due to clogged
arteries in the brain, and to treat dizziness, headache, and emotional
hypersensitivity accompanied by anxiety.
The leaves contain ginkgolides, these are compounds that are unknown
in any other plant species. Ginkgolides inhibit allergic responses and
so are of use in treating disorders such as asthma. Eye disorders and
senility have also responded to treatment. The leaves are best
harvested in the late summer or early autumn just before they begin to
change color. They are dried for later use.
The fruit is antibacterial, antifungal, astringent, cancer,
digestive, expectorant, sedative, vermifuge. The fruit is macerated in
vegetable oil for 100 days and then the pulp is used in the treatment
of pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, bronchitis etc. (This report might
be referring to the seed rather than the fleshy fruit).
The cooked seed is antitussive, astringent and sedative. It is used
in the treatment of asthma, coughs with thick phlegm and urinary
incontinence. The raw seed is said to have anticancer activity and also
to be antivinous. It should be used with caution, however, due to
reports of toxicity. The cooked seeds stabilize spermatogenesis.
Seed - raw (in small quantities), or cooked. A soft and oily
texture, the seed has a sweet flavor and tastes somewhat like a large
pine nut. The baked seed makes very pleasant eating, it has a taste
rather like a cross between potatoes and sweet chestnuts. The seed can
be boiled and used in soups, porridges etc. It needs to be heated
before being eaten in order to destroy a mildly acrimonious principle.
Another report says that the seed can be eaten raw whilst another says
that large quantities of the seed are toxic. See the notes on toxicity
for more details. The raw seed is said to have a fish-like flavor. The
seed is rich in niacin. It is a good source of starch and protein, but
is low in fats. These fats are mostly unsaturated or monosaturated. A
more detailed nutritional analysis is available.
It is widely held that about one quarter of Western medicines are
derived from plants, although a recent study led by Francesca Grifo,
director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the
American Museum of Natural History, puts the figure closer to 60%. Most
Western plant-derived medicines, however, resulted from isolating
active ingredients and not from the complex compounds that make up most
herbal remedies. Some scientists apply the term "botanical" to any
product that contains ingredients of vegetable matter or its
constituents as a finished product.
Research continues to accumulate evidence for and against herbal
medicines. Scientific research on many herbal medicines has shown a
clear correlation with health benefits. For Ginkgo biloba, for example,
the NIH's Alternative Medicine report
cites more than nine published scientific studies, conducted mostly in
Europe, confirming ginkgo's effectiveness in improving cognitive
function and circulation, and in reducing the risk of cardiovascular
disease. The report also cites findings confirming the benefits of milk
thistle (Silybum marianum, used both to prevent and repair liver
damage), saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, effective against benign prostatic hypertrophy), and echinacea (Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia, found to have immune-enhancing and antibacterial properties), among others.
Known Hazards: The seed contains a mildly acrimonious
principle that is unstable when heated. It is therefore best to cook
the seed before eating it to ensure any possible toxicity is destroyed.
This acrimonious principle is probably 4'-methoxypyridoxine, which can
destroy vitamin B6. It is more toxic for children, but the raw nuts
would have to be eaten often over a period of time for the negative
effects to become apparent.
No comments:
Post a Comment