Ginkgo biloba and its extraordinary properties

For centuries, or perhaps millennia, Ginkgo biloba has been used for its therapeutic actions, especially traditional Chinese medicine. From the leaves of ginkgo an extract is obtained, that has flavonoids and increase central and peripheral blood circulation when ingested., and as a result the irrigation of organic tissues becomes more efficient. This benefits people of mature and senile age, since their organisms lose capacity to adequately irrigate tissues (especially the brain, causing memory loss, fatigue, confusion, depression and anxiety). The consumption of Gingko reduces these symptoms and also makes more efficient irrigation in the heart and extremities (1). Due to this vasodilator effect, it greatly improves the blood flow of the whole body, and, therefore, increases the flow of blood to the genitals. increasing the power.

Ginkgo biloba extract is obtained from the dried green leaves of the Ginkgo tree. This tree was called by Charles Darwin, with all property, living fossil, because it is considered as the oldest living superior species of the planet. The art of gardening in millenarian China resides in its magical and sacred character, because the garden is a living representation of the cosmos, with its somber and luminous, dynamic and static elements, which are in a continuous balance between opposing forces. Ginkgo represents the duality of the world: the masculine and feminine principle, heaven and earth, the visible and the occult, the Sun and the Moon, the ying and the yang (2). A year after the outbreak of the Hiroshima bomb, in the spring of 1946, about a kilometer away from the epicenter of the explosion, an old destroyed and dry Ginkgo began to sprout, while a temple built in front of it was completely destroyed (3), (4). For Hiroshima it became a symbol of rebirth and object of veneration, so it is called "bearer of hope" (5). The tree was documented and photographed as the ginkgo of Hosenbo's atomic bomb in Hiroshima (photo). After the disaster, curiosity in medical science was awakened by studying the healing properties of Ginkgo biloba.

The standard preparation of the extract of the Ginkgo leaf (EGb 761) contains 2 main bioactive components, flavonoid glycosides (24%) and terpene lactones (6%), together with ginkgolic acid type A, B and C, which has been noticed acts like an allergen. It has been reported that the extract of the Ginkgo leaf has neuroprotective, anticarcinogenic, cardioprotective properties; that improves nervous tension and memory and possible effects in certain geriatric disorders and psychiatric disorders (6). Toxicity studies show that the extract of the Ginkgo leaf is relatively safe for consumption, however it is advisable to consult the doctor before use.

References:

1. Rondón, Carlos (24 de diciembre de 2011). «Estudios de extractos de origen vegetal en el tratamiento de la fibrosis pulmonar»
2. Siegfried Unseld (2003). Goethe and the Ginkgo: A Tree and a Poem. University of Chicago Press. p. 14.
3. Jack Challem Antioxidantes naturales: Cómo reducir el riesgo de cáncer, alzheimer y enfermedades cardiovasculares (2010). Ediciones Nowtilus S.L. p. 152.
4. Kelly Westall. «Ginkgo biloba». College of Science. Ethnobotanical Leaflets.
5. Álvaro Ritoré Hidalgo. «GINKGO BILOBA. EL ÁRBOL QUE SOBREVIVIÓ». p. 124.
6. Mahadevan S, Park Y.: Multifaceted therapeutic benefits of Ginkgo biloba L.: chemistry, efficacy, safety, and uses. J Food Sci. 2008 Jan;73(1):R14-9. Review

Photo:
The ginkgo ensconced in the temple’s U-shaped stair. Photo taken from Green Legacy Hiroshima’s hibakujumoku database.