Improving Memory

Are you really improving memory with Ginkgo?

For years many people believed that taking ginkgo biloba would help in improving memory. Researchers and manufacturers of ginkgo products swore that the over-the-counter herbal product would help in improving memory loss.

So you must be asking, "What exactly is ginkgo biloba and does it really work?" Well here are the answers: ginkgo biloba is the world's oldest living specimen of tree, its leaves are used in medicine, and no, it doesn't work.

Until recently, it was believed that does of ginkgo was believed to help not only in improving memory, but also overall brain function. However, further studies done on memory loss patients in the Netherlands have showed that there was no improvement in the condition of the patients taking ginkgo compared to those not taking it.

Articles in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association as well the Journal of the American Medical Association have both referenced studies where patients using ginkgo showed no signs of improving memory. In response to this, herbalists and trade groups such as the American Herbal Products Association have argued that either the dosage used was too little or that the length of the study was too short. The dosage used in the American Medical Association study used the recommended 120mg of ginkgo per day and was conducted for 6 weeks while the study done in the Netherlands used 240mg per day and lasted for 12 weeks. The opposing group has argued and pointed to studies where the doses were increased to 360mg per day and conducted for longer periods of time and showed signs of improvement. Although the groups supporting ginkgo have pointed to success stories, it is with a high dose of ginkgo which may be unhealthy if used incorrectly.

There doesn't seem to be any health risks of taking ginkgo in small doses (120mg) so there really isn't much to lose by taking it, but there are also no guarantees either.