A Ginkgo a Day? New Research Finds Hope for Stroke Victims

Known to grow to over 134 feet tall and live up to 3,000 years, the Ginkgo biloba tree has long been a source of medicinal aid in China for centuries. The tree produces smooth leaves that resemble little fans with ridges along the top, which are both beautiful and beneficial. In the last decade or so the herbal extract of ginkgo has been popular in health food chains and home medicine cabinets to help with blood circulation, alertness, and memory improvement. A new study published recently by Stroke journal shows that ginkgo may be more useful than originally thought.

Researchers at John’s Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, used mice to record the effects of ginkgo on the brain. By making an extract from the leaves to form a supplement, the scientists were able to show that ginkgo is useful in staving off some brain damage due to the after effects of a stroke.

One group of mice was given the supplement daily for seven days while the control group stayed clean. After a stroke was induced in each mouse from both groups, the researchers tracked the results. The group that was given the ginkgo beforehand tested with positive results, having 50.9 percent less neurological damage. The supplement also helped limit the reduction of limb strength and paralysis in the mice.

John Hopkins Institutions’ Dr. Sylvain Dore, a lead researcher from the school in Baltimore, confirmed the findings, “Our results suggest that some element or elements in Ginkgo actually protect brain cells during stroke,” adding, “If further work confirms what we've seen, we could theoretically recommend a daily regimen of Ginkgo to people at high risk of stroke as a preventive measure against brain damage.”

Scientists also found that the extract neutralized the free radical activity of molecules inside the brain. Free radicals help to kill cells within the brain and can cause major damage and the fact that ginkgo is now proven to help block these is great news.

With tests still left to be conducted, Dr. Dore admits that the transistion to human brains is still far away. The research with mice has come a long way and these findings have proved to be a step in the right direction, but this is just the start of more hopeful positive results from Ginkgo in the future.

While Dr. Dore knows human trials are still far off, he and his team at Hopkins are still getting their foot in the door for human trials using this ginkgo treatment against strokes. They are experimenting with dosage amounts, the safest way to administer the supplement, and when it should be given in relation to the onset of a stroke.

The findings however, aren’t garnering all great news. Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Stroke Center at Duke University is quick to dismiss this new research as old news. "This is basically an animal model study trying to look at the central mechanism of action of ginkgo as a neuroprotective drug." said Goldstein, "We've been down this pathway a hundred times already, and none of these animal models have proven to be effective in generating FDA-worthy evidence." It makes sense that Dr. Goldstein doesn’t want to get his hopes up for this new evidence, as it seems he’s been through this with negative results many times before, but maybe when clinical trials for humans are available he will be happy to change his mind.

While no one knows what the future holds, ginkgo shouldn’t be dismissed altogether as a supplement to help with brain function, memory loss, or blood circulation. Even if you’re not prone to strokes or you don’t carry one of the major risk factors—diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, or heart disease among others like a hereditary gene or if are over 55 years old—a ginkgo supplement a day may just take the free radicals away!