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when ginkgo is taken, particularly in people with a history of seizure disorder. However,
most reports of seizures have been due to eating ginkgo seeds, rather than the leaf
extract, which is the standardized study product. Still, according to the Natural
Standard, overall, ginkgo leaf extract appears to be well tolerated at recommended
doses for up to six months.
Gingko’s safety for children and during pregnancy and breastfeeding is unknown, but
the concern is minimal.- DOSAGE: Study dosage is standardized at between 40 and 240 mg. per day of EGb 761.
- 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. - RESEARCH: Long-term outcomes -- benefits and liabilities from continuing treatment with
ginkgo and comparative assessment with other drugs -- require further investigation, as do
the systematic tracking, reporting and quantification of adverse effects.
1
“Dietary Supplements and Natural Products as Psychotherapeutic Agents,” by Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D. (of
Georgetown Medical School) and Jerry M. Cott, Ph.D. (of the National Institutes of Health), Psychosomatic
Medicine 61:712-728 (1999), at 716; Oken, B.S., Storzbach, D.M., Kaye, J.A. “The Efficacy of Ginkgo Biloba on
Cognitive Function in Alzheimer Disease.” Arch. Neurol. 55:1409–15 (1998).
(^2) Lake, J.A. and Spiegel, D., Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care, American
Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., Washington (2007), at 104-107.
(^3) Amri, H., Mones, A.A., Le Bars, P. & Kastelan, J., “Ginkgo biloba Extract in Cognitive Disorders, in Natural
Medications for Psychiatric Disorders: Considering the Alternatives, co-edited by David Mischoulon, M.D. and
Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, M.D. (both of Harvard Medical School) (Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia
2002/2008), at163.
(^4) Id.