Imagine one of the oldest living specie of tree, a plant with medicinal uses and an ancient civilization discovering these benefits. From a traditional herbal adage to a modern day supplement, truly Ginkgo Biloba has evolved from merely a plant common among the Chinese to a capsule utilized by a much wider class of consumers.
As previously mentioned, Ginkgo extracts are derived from the tree itself. Although, the traditional uses Chinese folks utilizes the leaves and seeds, the modern touch-ups involves a much heavily concentrated pure standardized Ginkgo Biloba extracts. Ginkgo is credited for its circulation enhancing capacities, paving way for improved blood flow on tissues and vital organs, superb antioxidant property and blood thinning properties.
Cerebral blood flow deficiency calls for poor memory, decreased attention span, headache, dizziness, confusion and other negative cognitive functions. In fact, these symptoms are all associated with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, two of the most common but complicated mental disorders. With this herbal supplement, improve blood flow is supplied on the cerebral area causing relief from the mentioned symptoms. In fact, Ginkgo is taken frequently to enhance mental cognition in the elderly. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of Ginkgo on Alzheimer’s diseases as well as vascular and mixed dementia was conducted by the researchers from Epidemiology and Health Economics in Charite University Medicine. The clinical review involving nine trials including 2,372 patients concluded that utilization of Ginkgo herbal supplement appears to be more effectual compared to its placebo counterpart. Other clinical evidences also support the notion that standardized extracts from the leaves of Ginkgo contains neuroprotective agents effective as treatment for neurodegenerative disorders.
Moreover, another system that would benefit from improvements in the blood flow is none other than the circulatory system itself, especially the heart. Concentrated Ginkgo usage has been previously known to improve blood cholesterol profile. This mechanism is permitted by regulating the hardening of the cholesterol plaque on the walls of the vessels and arteries to prevent blockage. Blockage in one of the intimal layers of the arteries and blood vessels will cause significant cut-off in circulation to some heart or brain areas— depending where the obstruction have persisted— thereby leading to ischemia, the main culprit for myocardial infarction or if the brain is affected, stroke. Similarly, circulatory disorder known as Raynaud’s Phenomena, a condition wherein valuable percentage of circulation is reduced on the peripheries, such as in the hands or the toes, can be treated with this complementary medicine. Furthermore, the vasoactive acting capabilities of Ginkgo have also been equally utilized for the management of intermittent claudication or severe pain in the legs and the muscles during intense exercises. Interestingly enough, another particular blood vessel and nerve disorder called tinnitus can also be remedied with this herbal product. Chronic and persistent ringing in the ears has been proven to be greatly reduced and that standardized Ginkgo extract is an evidenced-based treatment option according to some studies.
Out from the standardized extracts of Ginkgo springs certain substances to which its powerful antioxidant properties have surfaced. These substances are water soluble molecules termed as flavonoids and terpenoids. Antioxidants act as free radical fighter as a direct effect of the oxidation process. These oxidants if left alone will cause damage to the cells and will lead the way for diseases such as cancer, heart disorders, macular degeneration and nerve impairment to occur.
Lastly, endurance athletes may likewise rejoice as clinical researchers have found out that combined supplementation of herbal supplements Rhodiola and Ginkgo can enhance endurance performance and cause positive hormonal changes in serum testosterone and cortisol level. The researchers added that the combined supplementation improved performance by increasing consumption of oxygen and prevention of exhaustion among the subjects.
Ginkgo Biloba is now a popular sport supplement penetrating the worldwide market with proven effectiveness to boost of. Increasing number of people has secured for themselves the wonders of this complementary medicine. How about you?