Health Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba Include Erectile Dysfunction, Alzheimer, Depression

[Charles_Wong]

I believe Ginkgo Biloba is now banned as over-the-counter supplement in Europe, but it is used as a prescription drug in Germany: the goal of course being to boost the Pharmaceutical industry. One by one, supplements are being criminalized in Europe to allow drug companies to sell it only as prescription drugs. In America, FDA/drug companies/bought-off politicians are also trying to criminalize them, but there is not enough popular support for it as yet, but they succeeded in banning over-the-counter T-triptophan in order to boost sales of Prozac, and also now banned Effedra. Plus, I believe there is also an ideological drive among the elites to disempower the citizens by giving them less choice over their lives. I also believe that Organizations representing physicians also would like these things banned because doctors make their money from people who's only choice is prescription drugs. The whole medical and medical equipment industry I speculate have an interest in supporting politicians who support banning supplements and herbs. Please read the full article, here are a few excerpts:

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2002/nov2002_report_ginkgo_01.html

The first large-scale American clinical study on ginkgo was published in the 1997 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).[3] This study showed that, compared to placebo, ginkgo helped prevent short-term memory loss in patients with early-diagnosed Alzheimer's disease. The researchers concluded that ginkgo improved cognitive performance and social functioning in these patients.

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In a critical review of 40 clinical studies using ginkgo extract for "cerebral insufficiency" or age-related dementia, virtually all trials reported positive results.[4] The methodological quality of the eight best designed studies were found to be comparable to the evidence for an FDA-approved pharmaceutical used for the same indication. [hence the desire to ban Ginkgo Biloba so drug companies gain monopoly]

[ . . . ]

In European studies, progressive degenerative dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, has been treated with ginkgo extract. The results of these European trials were so impressive that the German government approved ginkgo biloba extract for treatment of dementia.

[ . . . ]

It should be pointed out that there is scientific support for memory enhancement even in young healthy people. Following just a single dose of 600 mg of ginkgo extract, significant memory improvement was demonstrated in a randomized, double-blind crossover study[9] using Sternberg's memory scanning test. The effect lasted for several hours.

[ . . . ]

Because patients treated with ginkgo extract for cerebral insufficiency often show general mood improvement, it made sense to take a closer look at the antidepressive effects of ginkgo. Schubert et al.[11] conducted a study with 40 patients aged 51 to 78 diagnosed with depression, who had not fully responded to standard antidepressant treatment. They were given either placebo or 80 mg ginkgo extract three times daily. After eight weeks of treatment, the assessment on the Hamilton Depression Scale showed a drop from 14 to 4.5 in the ginkgo-treated group, compared to 14 to 13 in the placebo group. These results suggest that ginkgo may be of significant value as an antidepressant.

[ . . . ]

Leg cramps and reduced walking capacity due to atherosclerosis in the arteries of the leg-claudicatio intermittens-occurs in about 3% of the population over age 50. The symptoms are caused by reduced blood flow and oxygen delivery to the muscles, which results in production of free radicals and other toxic metabolites. Ginkgo biloba extract is approved as a drug treatment in Germany for this condition. Several clinical studies have confirmed the effect of long-term (six to twelve months) treatment with ginkgo extract, showing statistically significant improvement in walking performance measured by standardized treadmill exercise.[12]

[ . . . ]

There is a great deal of evidence that oxygen-derived free radicals contribute to the progress of ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart by inducing an accumulation of lipid peroxidation products.

In one in vivo study Ginkgolide B infusion suppressed arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythm) caused by ischemia. The anti-arrhythmic effect of Ginkgolide B was comparable to standard antiarrhythmic drugs.[13]

Cardiac-protecting mechanisms of ginkgo extract were demonstrated in several other experimental (animal) studies. Shen et al[14] and Haramaki et al.[15] studied the effects of ginkgo on myocardial ischemia followed by reperfusion. Ginkgo treatment significantly inhibited the increase of lipid peroxidation during reperfusion compared to a placebo group.

In a study by Akiba et al.,[16] it was demonstrated that ginkgo extract caused a dose-dependent inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by oxidative stress. The authors suggest that this effect is related to ginkgo's protective effect on myocardial as well as cerebral injuries.

[ . . . ]

A study by Sikora et al.[17] involved 60 patients with erectile dysfunction, who had not responded to other treatments. After six to eight weeks of treatment with ginkgo biloba extract at 60 mg/day, signs of improved blood supply could be seen. After six months of therapy, in spite of the small dose, 50% of the patients had regained potency. No change in systemic blood pressure was observed.

There are many more benefits as well, please read full article at http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2002/nov2002_report_ginkgo_01.html

For research on much of the non-prescription drugs that Government wants to ban because they work as well or better than prescription drugs, please see http://www.lef.org/

As an anecdote, I have clinical depression and have tried fluoxatine, bupropion, paroxatine, duloxatine, and other SSRIs. Nothing worked that well and there was too many side effects like loss of sexual drive, lathargy, restlessness, loss of mental focus, appetite gain, etc.

So I tried the non-prescription St. John's Wart and it worked better than all the prescription drugs with no side effects: labido is great, appetite actually decreased to where I can now eat much more healthier, I don't have anxiety symptoms anymore, etc. I take 300 mg a day.

I wonder which nation will ban St. John's Wart first. Maybe Europe already has.

Makes me wonder why all those "street drugs" are illegal as well: to give pharmaceuticals monopoly over the street drugs?