Some reports suggest that ginkgo biloba lowers
blood sugar levels. Individuals who are taking insulin
or other medications that also lower blood sugar, and
those with type 2 diabetes, should consult their health
care provider before starting to take ginkgo biloba.Complications
Serious side effects of ginkgo biloba are rare. The
most common mild side effects are headache, dizzi-
ness, nausea, diarrhea, increased restlessness, and rac-
ing heart. Increased bleeding may occur. Allergic
reactions to gingko are possible, but uncommon. In
severe rare cases, the skin blisters and sloughs off, a
condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome. People
who are allergic to sumac, mango rind, cashews, poi-
son oak, and poison ivy are at slightly higher risk to
have an allergic reaction to ginkgo biloba.Parental concerns
Parents should be aware that the safe dose of
many herbal supplements has not been establsihed
for children. Accidental overdose may occur if chil-
dren are give adult herbal supplements.Resources
BOOKS
Cass, Hyla and Jim English.Basic Health Publications User’s
Guide to Ginkgo biloba.North Bergen, NJ: Basic Health
Publications, 2002.
Fragakis, Allison.The Health Professional’s Guide to Pop-
ular Dietary SupplementsChicago: American Dietetic
Association, 2003
PDR for Herbal Medicines,3rd ed. Montvale, NJ: Thomp-
son Healthcare, 2004.
Pierce, Andrea.The American Pharmaceutical Association
Practical Guide to Natural Medicines.New York:
William Morrow, 1999.
Tracy, Timothy S. and Richard L. Kingston, eds.Herbal
Products: Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology.
Totowa, NJ, Humana Press, 2007.
Wildman, Robert E. C., ed.Handbook of Nutraceuticals and
Functional Foods,2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/
Taylor & Francis, 2007.
PERIODICALS
Akhondzadeh, S. and S. H. Abbasi. ‘‘Herbal Medicine in the
Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.’’American Journal
of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias21, no. 2
(Mar-April 2006):113–8.
Dugoua, J. J., et al. ‘‘Safety and Efficacy of Ginkgo (Ginkgo
biloba) During Pregnancy and Lactation.’’Canadian
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology13, no. 3 (Fall,
2006):e277–84.<http://www.cjcp.ca/pdf/CJCP05-037_
e277e284F.pdf>Mazza, M. et al, ‘‘Ginkgo Biloba and Donepezil: A Com-
parison in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia in a
Randomized Placebo-controlled Double-blind Study.’’
European Journal of Neurology13, no. 9 (September
2006):981–5.
Oh, S. M. and K. H. Chung. ‘‘Antiestrogenic Activities of
Ginkgo Biloba Extracts.’’Steroid Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology100, nos. 4–5 (August 2006):167-76.
Sierpina, Victor S., Bernd Wollschlaeger, and Mark Blu-
menthal. ‘‘Ginkgo Biloba.’’American Academy of
Family Physicians.68, (September 1, 2003):923–6.
<http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030901/932.html>
ORGANIZATIONS
Alternative Medicine Foundation. P.O. Box 60016,
Potomac, MD 20859. Telephone: (301) 340-1960.
Fax: (301) 340-1936. Website:<http://www.
amfoundation.org>
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Med-
icine Clearinghouse. P.O. Box 7923, Gathersburg, MD- Telephone: (888) 644-6226. TTY: (866) 464-
- Fax: (866) 464-3616. Website:http://
nccam.nih.gov
Natural Standard. 245 First Street, 18th Floor, Cambridge,
MA 02142. Telephone: (617) 444-8629. Fax: (617) 444- - Website:http://www.naturalstandards.com/
bibcit.composed>
Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of
Health. 6100 Executive Blvd., Room 3B01, MSC 7517,
Bethesda, MD 20892-7517 Telephone: (301) 435-2920.
Fax: (301)480-1845. Website:http://dietary
supplements.info.nih.gov
OTHER
Mayo Clinic Staff. ‘‘Gingko (Gingko biloba L.).’’ Mayo
Clinic.com, May 1, 2006.http://www.mayoclinic.
com/health/gingko-bilboa/NS_patient-gingko
Maryland Medical Center Programs Center for Integrative
Medicine. ‘‘Gingko Biloba.’’ University of Maryland
Medical Center, 2002.http://www.umm.edu/altmed/
ConsHerbs/GingkoBilobah.html
Medline Plus. ‘‘ Gingko (Gingko biloba L.).’’ U. S. National
Library of Medicine, November 1, 2006.http://www
.nlm.nih/gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patnein
gingko.html
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Med-
icine. ‘‘Gingko.’’ National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine, January 23, 2007.http://
nccam.nih.gov
HOPES Project for Education at Stanford. ‘‘Gingko
Bibloba: Disease Mechanism IV: Free Radical
Damage.’’ Stanford University, December 3, 2004.
http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/sttools/
hopes.html
Tish Davidson, A.M.Ginkgo biloba