104
that ginkgo appears safe overall and that side effects are rare. It follows that concerns about
pregnancyy, breast-feeding and child use are minimal
CONTAMINATION
Berkeley Wellness cautions that commonly available products may be different than the
preparations used in clinical studies. EGb 761 is the only preparation of ginkgo that should be
used. And tests by ConsumerLab have found problems in some ginkgo products. For instance, in
2008, tests on seven of the most popular ginkgo products sold in the United States found that
five were contaminated or low in key compounds.
CONCLUSION
Traditional uses of ginkgo as a neuroprotectant are now in question. The split of the sources
confirms that this is a controversial supplement, and the recent evidence, from large-scale,
long-term studies, is all negative. But the risk is minimal, and the sources continue to argue that
ginkgo has neuroprotective efficacy, even if it doesn’t prevent Alzheimer’s dementia.