She suggests trying a
ginkgo extract, which she believes can improve blood flow to the inner ear, and possibly help tackle vertigo and tinnitus where symptoms are linked with abnormal circulation.
Reports on
ginkgo extract adulteration date back to 2003, when researchers observed uncharacteristically high amounts of the flavonoid rutin in a sample of bulk material.
Active compounds in
Ginkgo extract possess antioxidant [1-3], antiasthmatic [4], and wound-healing properties [5], improve blood circulation, discourage clot formation, reinforce the walls of capillaries, and protect nerve cells from harm when deprived of oxygen [6].
As early as 1970, studies showed that
ginkgo extract exerts therapeutic effects on cardiovascular diseases.
2010; van Beek and Montoro 2009) In fact, extensive clinical research has found that standardized
ginkgo extract may reduce patients' risk of developing a number of mental diseases, including Alzheimer's.
The authors undertook research to investigate the influence of a specific type of
ginkgo extract, EGb761[R] on embryofoetal development in mice during the critical period of organogenesis (6th to 15th day of pregnancy) by oral administration to the dams.
Direct and indirect cholinergic activity has been reported with administration of
ginkgo extract in vitro (Das 2002, Nathan 2000).
Researchers found that four years later, 29 out of 966 people who were given the placebo developed Alzheimer's disease, compared with 15 out of 947 of the subjects who took the
ginkgo extract EGb 761.
They were randomized either to twice-daily doses of placebo or 120 mg of
ginkgo extract. Although the extract was safe, it was not associated with any significant cognitive improvement (JAMA 2008;300: 2253-62).
And, regarding that higher dose, we see the need for a purer
Ginkgo extract containing terpene lactones at a much higher concentration.
They were randomized to twice-daily doses of either placebo or 120 mg of
ginkgo extract. Although the extract was safe, it was not associated with any significant cognitive improvement (JAMA 2008;300:2253-62).