You may have heard about the latest study on ginkgo biloba. The one that said there was no real evidence that ginkgo really did much of anything. Really.
It’s no wonder people just give up, don their hiking boots, load a stout llama (email me if you want to hear my lama, with one “L” story about Donna and the San Diego airport) and disappear deep into the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. Forever.
Honestly, can it really be this hard? The ginkgo is an ornamental Chinese tree that has been around for thousands of years. People have been using the extract from its leaves for about as long, and I suppose, according to the most recent study, for absolutely no good reason.
Centuries ago people began crushing ginkgo leaves and pulling out the good stuff knowing it wasn’t doing them any good. And it makes sense. They knew golf clubs wouldn’t be invented for another couple hundred years, so what else was one to do after a Saturday morning of hunter-gathering.
I don’t mind a beaker-head. Some of them are surprisingly nice people, and a select few can actually name the city where the Chicago Bears play. But they also used to think the world was flat and the earth was the center of the universe.
If you need some anecdotal – translate: real world – evidence as to whether there’s anything to ginkgo, follow the money.
It seems one of the largest health care companies in the world with cubbies and crannies chock full of beaker-heads, Bayer AG, (that’s right, the aspirin guys) has introduced a new line of…Oh, my word, someone slap me…nutritional supplements.
Say it isn’t so.
Among this German-based conglomerate’s offerings is a formula of omega-3s and – you guessed it – ginkgo biloba to “help support healthy brain function, memory, concentration, and mental sharpness.” Their marketing words; not mine.
I guess they don’t play much golf in Germany.
Now say what you want about big-time pharmaceutical companies, but you can’t argue the fact they know how to turn a buck. According to Bayer’s web site, its nutritional supplement subgroup alone generated 9.4 billion euros worldwide in 2005, which translates to roughly a nifty $11.3 billion.
And I suppose they poured all that effort into products that don’t do anything for you.
OK, you take my point.
Ginkgo increases blood flow to the brain and central nervous system, thereby enhancing memory and brain function.
It is also an antioxidant, and it’s beneficial properties have been linked to favorable outcomes in depression, dementia, eczema, cardio issues and may slow the progression of Alzheimers in some individuals.
Here at The Organic Affair, we have our own ginkgo and omega-3 formula in Neurozyme by New Chapter, an herbal extract obtained without the use of chemical solvents. Unlike the process used by…other companies.
One important word of caution: if you presently take medications, especially blood thinners and/or over-the-counter pain killers, please consult your physician or health care provider before starting a ginkgo regimen as the herb can sometimes act as an anti-coagulant, and there is a risk of internal bleeding.
The seemingly never-ending confusion and contradictions surrounding supplements is hard to fathom at best. If you need to take an aspirin, I’ll understand.
Jim Mayfield is the lead shipper and loader for The Organic Affair, online retailer of natural, organic whole food vitamins, supplements, organic teas, and natural skin care and cosmetics at www.theorganicaffair.com.