Ginkgo Biloba Benefits, Uses and More
April 29, 2022Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree, is a tree native to China. It is one of the oldest living tree species globally. Ginkgo biloba leaves have a long history of use in Traditional Chinese medicine. Today, Ginkgo Biloba has become a common remedy for improving heart health, brain health, and various brain and nervous system conditions.
What Is Ginkgo Biloba?
Ginkgo biloba is a tree species native to China, one of the oldest living tree species in the world.
Ginkgo is an ancient tree revered and highly respected in many Asian cultures. Not only is ginkgo Biloba one of the oldest tree species, but ginkgo trees are among the oldest living trees on the planet today. One ginkgo Biloba tree in Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple in the Zhongnan Mountains of China, for example, is over 1,400 years old.
What Is Ginkgo Biloba Used For?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, practitioners use Ginkgo Biloba as a medicine for heart health, lung ailments, and brain function. Today, the most common ginkgo Biloba uses are for improving heart health, brain health, focus, and memory.
What Are the Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba?
There are many ginkgo Biloba benefits—the majority of which are related to the brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular health. Some of the top ginkgo Biloba benefits include:
Ginkgo Biloba May Improve Brain Health
Ginkgo Biloba improves brain health and function, according to numerous clinical studies. These studies show that ginkgo Biloba can increase blood circulation to the brain. Increased circulation gives the brain more oxygen and nutrients to improve overall cognitive function. In addition, several studies on ginkgo Biloba have found that it increased mental performance and perceived sense of well-being in participants.
Ginkgo Biloba May Be Beneficial for Mental Decline
Ginkgo biloba has gained popularity as a supplement for helping to improve symptoms associated with age-related cognitive decline.
The primary reason for these benefits is that Ginkgo Biloba can help improve blood flow to the brain. In addition, Ginkgo Biloba appears to be especially beneficial for dementia as it is a vascular type of neurodegenerative disease.
Ginkgo biloba is also rich in antioxidants that may help fight free radical build-up in the brain, a major contributing factor to various cognitive diseases.
Ginkgo Biloba Is High in Antioxidants
Ginkgo biloba contains various flavonoids and terpenoids, compounds known to have strong antioxidant effects. Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in your body.
Free radicals are oxygen-containing molecules with an uneven number of electrons. The uneven number allows them to react with other molecules quickly. Free radicals can cause significant chain chemical reactions in your body because they react quickly to other molecules. These reactions are called oxidation and can either be harmful to your health. When there's an imbalance between free radical activity and antioxidant activity, it can damage cells and ultimately ill-health.
Antioxidants can donate an electron to a free radical without making themselves unstable. This process causes the free radical to stabilize and become less reactive. As oxidation is a process that is constantly occurring due to numerous chemical reactions in the body, antioxidants must also regularly work to keep free radicals in balance.
Free radicals do damage to our cells, tissues, and DNA.
Therefore, including antioxidants in your diet with foods or herbs like ginkgo Biloba may be beneficial for preventing damage caused by oxidative stress.
Ginkgo Biloba May Reduce Inflammation in The Body
Inflammation is a process in the body and is a significant function of your immune system. When your body is injured or at risk of infection from toxins or pathogens, your body has a localized inflammatory response that plays a critical role in healing.
However, if inflammation persists for long periods, it is known as chronic inflammation and can be detrimental to your health. Chronic inflammation is one of the most destructive and widespread health issues that most people face today and is at the root of many major diseases.
Studies on Ginkgo biloba show anti-inflammatory effects in animals and humans. Therefore, it is considered very beneficial for lowering inflammation levels in the body.
These anti-inflammatory benefits are another major factor in Ginkgo Biloba's brain health benefits. Ginkgo may help to reduce inflammation and swelling in the brain. Not only this, but ginkgo may be beneficial for various other conditions linked to inflammation.
Ginkgo Biloba May Increase Blood Circulation
Studies on Ginkgo Biloba have found that it may improve blood circulation. Recent studies have shown that Ginkgo Biloba benefits circulation in the brain. Ginkgo may improve overall blood circulation and is often used to increase athletic performance.
One study observing ginkgo's effects on blood circulation found that people supplemented with ginkgo benefited circulation and blood flow to multiple parts of the body. According to research, ginkgo Biloba improved nitric oxide levels. This compound can dilate blood vessels, allowing blood to circulate more easily.
Ginkgo supports heart health and cardiovascular health because of these benefits to the circulatory system.
Ginkgo Biloba May Improve Libido
The increase in blood flow caused by Ginkgo Biloba may also benefit libido and sexual function. These libido-supporting benefits are considered one of the top Ginkgo Biloba benefits for men. In addition, studies on Ginkgo Biloba benefits for men have found that it may have benefits for sexual dysfunction like low libido or erectile dysfunction.
Again, this is attributed to Ginkgo Biloba's ability to improve blood levels of nitric oxide, enhancing blood flow to all of the body's organs and tissues—including reproductive organs.
What Are the Active Compounds in Ginkgo Biloba?
The medicinal benefits of plants are from the bioactive chemicals found within them.
Ginkgo biloba contains numerous plant compounds such as:
- phenolics
- flavonoids
- terpenoids
- alkylphenols
- ginkgolic acids
- active polysaccharides
Are There Any Side Effects to Using Ginkgo Biloba?
Ginkgo biloba has been in use for thousands of years and is considered a very safe herb for most people. However, there are some precautions one should take when using ginkgo Biloba, as it can be harmful in some cases.
Some people may be allergic to plants that contain alkylphenols, a group of compounds found in Ginkgo Biloba. Specific side effects may occur for those sensitive to alkylphenols, including:
- nausea
- lightheadedness
- dizziness
- headaches
- stomach pain
- skin rash
- diarrhea
It is also not recommended to take Ginkgo Biloba if you use certain medications. Ginkgo Biloba may negatively interact with some medicines. Possible adverse medication interactions include blood thinners, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, and antidepressants or MAOIs.
We recommend speaking with your doctor before supplementing with Ginkgo Biloba or any other dietary supplement, especially if you have a preexisting medical condition.
What Is the Best Way to Take Ginkgo Biloba?
There are many ways to take Ginkgo Biloba. You can take a ginkgo Biloba supplement in pill, capsule, powder, or tincture form, or you can drink Ginkgo Biloba tea. These forms of ginkgo Biloba supplement will provide some of the benefits that ginkgo offers. However, the best way to take ginkgo Biloba for its medicinal benefits is using a therapeutic grade extract.
Therapeutic dose extractions can concentrate the active ingredients in herbs, making them significantly more potent than regular teas, capsules, or powders. Plus, these extracts remove the plant material, which increases their bioavailability.
Our Ginkgo Biloba Brain Flow Blend uses Ginkgo Biloba as a primary ingredient and uses a therapeutic extraction process. This extraction process concentrates the active ingredients in the herbs into a potent liquid extract.
In addition, the active ingredients in this formula are completely water-soluble, so they're absorbed immediately in the bloodstream and not lost in the digestive tract. The harvesting of the herbs in this formula takes place only when they are at their peak potency level. These harvesting practices ensure that the active ingredients are as potent and effective as possible. Finally, the ingredients are 100% sustainable and wildcrafted, which means no pesticides, preservatives, chemical fillers, or genetically modified ingredients.
A therapeutic grade extract is among the best ways to receive Ginkgo Biloba's benefits.
Summary
Ginkgo biloba is a tree species native to China, one of the oldest living tree species in the world. It has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese medicine. It is still used today as a common remedy for improving heart health, brain health, and various brain and nervous system conditions.
Ginkgo biloba is high in beneficial antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. This herb also appears to increase nitric oxide levels, helping to improve blood flow and circulation throughout the body.
Ginkgo biloba contains numerous plant compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkylphenols, ginkgolic acids, and active polysaccharides that are responsible for its medicinal use benefits.
References:
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