Ginkgo Biloba Benefits
Chinese medicine has known of the benefits of Ginkgo
Biloba for thousands of years, the Europeans for decades, and it's
rapidly gaining acceptance in the US.
It is used to improve memory and to improve cognitive function in
dementia patients, and it has been used for a whole range of other
health problems as well, from high altitude mountain sickness to
circulation related disorders such as diabetic peripheral vascular
disease and varicose veins.
Ginkgo Biloba Benefits For Alzheimer's Sufferers
There has been a lot of practical experience with Ginkgo
Biloba, and a number of studies have been carried out as well.
One review of studies found that Ginkgo Biloba gave
improvements with attention and short-term memory similar to patients
using the drug donepezil (Aricept).
50 studies were initially looked at; four of these were
used for the review because they met the criteria of the patients
having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a standardized Ginkgo Biloba
extract was used and so was a placebo-controlled double-blind design.
The review was carried out in 1998 by Oken and other researchers.
A review of 33 clinical trials of Ginkgo Biloba was
carried out in October 2002, and that found that there is strong
evidence that the herb improves cognition, and that it probably does
slow the degenerative process of dementia, and that it appears to be
safe.
The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute found that Ginkgo
Biloba benefits people with age related memory problems. Taking the
herb for six months gave a significant improvement over people using
the placebo.
Studies indicate that you need to use the Ginkgo Biloba
for a number of months for improvements to show. Benefits include
improved behavior, a better sense of well-being, better
self-sufficiency and less hospitalization.
How Does It Work?
It is thought that Ginkgo Biloba benefits dementia
sufferers because it is an antioxidant and because it improves blood
flow in the brain.
Antioxidants fight the free radicals that contribute to
cell damage, aging and degeneration.
Other Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba
Apart from helping with dementia, studies have shown
that Ginkgo Biloba can help a lot of other diseases. These include
mountain sickness, asthma, sexual dysfunction, Raynaud's disease,
macular degeneration in the eyes, depression, headaches,
disorientation, hypoxia, tinnitus, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, hearing
loss in the elderly, blood vessel health, and more.
Ginkgo Biloba Side-Effects and Precautions
Ginkgo Biloba is generally safe to use, but there are
some precautions to be aware of.
It is a blood thinner so care should be taken when it is
used with other blood thinning agents. It should be discontinued at
least 36 hours before an operation because of bleeding complications.
It shouldn't be used by pregnant women, or when breast-feeding.
Consult your doctor about its use particularly if you
are on other medication.
Dosage
The Ginkgo Biloba is usually taken as a tablet or
capsule. For patients with Alzheimer's, the dosage is usually 120 – 240
mg a day, taken in two or three dosages. It can take several months for
results to be seen.
Other Alzheimer's Treatments
There are medications that can slow the progress of
Alzheimer's, and a whole range of natural methods for fighting this
devastating disease. A sufferer in the early stages of AD can gain
years of quality time.
Frank Mangano's downloadable Alzheimer's book “The
Mind Killer Defense” has the best information on fighting and
preventing Alzheimer's disease invest that I have come across. Click to
read about my review.
Return
from Ginkgo Biloba Benefits to the home
page
|
