Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

to protect nerves from damage, reduce inflammation,

and decrease blood clotting.

In the United States,Gingko bilobais cultivated

and the leaves are harvested and dried, then often used

to make a standardized extract that contains 24–25%

flavenoids and 6% terpenoids. U. S. law does not

require the standardization ofdietary supplements,

so consumers should read all labels carefully. Ginkgo

biloba is often sold as capsules and tablets. Dry and

liquid ginkgo extract is added to other herbal remedies

as well as teas, energy or health bars, and similar

products. An injectable form of ginkgo biloba extract

that was available in Europe has been withdrawn from

the market because of adverse side effects. Most well-

designed studies have been done using a total of 80–

240 mg of 50:1 standardized extract divided into 2 or 3

doses daily and taken by mouth.

Regulation of ginkgo biloba sales

Ginkgo biloba is one of the top selling herbal

remedies in the United States and is even more popular

in Europe. Under the 1994 Dietary Supplement

Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the sale of

ginkgo biloba is regulated by the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration (FDA) as a dietary supplement.

At the time the act was passed, legislators felt because

many dietary supplements such as ginkgo biloba come

from natural sources and have been used for hundreds

of years by practitioners of complementary and alter-

native medicine (CAM), supplements did not need to

be regulated as rigorously as prescription and over-

the-counter drugs used in conventional medicine.

The DSHEA regulates gingko biloba in the same

way that food is regulated. Like food manufacturers,

manufacturers of herbal products containing gingko

biloba do not have to prove that they are either safe

or effective before they can be sold to the public. This

differs from conventional pharmaceutical drugs, which

must undergo extensive human testing to prove their

safety and effectiveness before they can be marketed.

Also unlike conventional drugs, the label for a dietary

supplement such as gingko biloba does not have to

KEY TERMS

Alternative medicine—A system of healing that

rejects conventional, pharmaceutical-based medi-

cine and replaces it with the use of dietary supple-

ments and therapies such as herbs, vitamins,

minerals, massage, and cleansing diets. Alternative

medicine includes well-established treatment sys-

tems such as homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Med-

icine, and Ayurvedic medicine, as well as more-

recent, fad-driven treatments.

Alzheimer’s disease—An incurable disease of older

individuals that results in the destruction of nerve

cells in the brain and causes gradual loss of mental

and physical functions.

Antioxidant—A molecule that prevents oxidation. In

the body antioxidants attach to other molecules

called free radicals and prevent the free radicals

from causing damage to cell walls, DNA, and other

parts of the cell.

Claudication—Tiredness and pain in the leg muscles

that occur when walking and disappear with rest.

The cause is inadequate supply of oxygen to the

muscle usually caused by clogged blood vessels.

Complementary medicine—Includes many of the

same treatments used in alternative medicine, but

uses them to supplement conventional drug and

therapy treatments, rather than to replace conven-

tional medicine.

Conventional medicine—Mainstream or Western

pharmaceutical-based medicine practiced by medi-

cal doctors, doctors of osteopathy, and other

licensed health care professionals.

Dietary supplement—A product, such as a vitamin,

mineral, herb, amino acid, or enzyme, that is

intended to be consumed in addition to an individu-

al’s diet with the expectation that it will improve

health.

Free radical—An unstable, highly reactive molecule

that occurs naturally as a result of cellular metabo-

lism, but can be increased by environmental toxins,

ultraviolet and nuclear radiation. Free radicals dam-

age cellular DNA and are thought to play a role in

aging, cancer, and other diseases. Free radicals can

be neutralized by antioxidants.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)—An ancient

system of medicine based on maintaining a balance

in vital energy or qi that controls emotions, spiritual,

and physical well being. Diseases and disorders

result from imbalances in qi, and treatments such

as massage, exercise, acupuncture, nutritional and

herbal therapy is designed to restore balance and

harmony to the body.

Ginkgo biloba