Remedy · herb
Ginkgo biloba
Also: EGb 761, maidenhair tree
A popular memory supplement that large, rigorous trials have not shown to work — and that raises bleeding risk.
Evidence by condition
Each grade reflects the research for Ginkgo biloba and that condition specifically.
- DCognitive decline & memory
The large GEM trial found no reduction in dementia (and if anything the wrong direction), and Cochrane judged its effect on existing dementia 'inconsistent and unreliable'.
2 citation s
- Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial (Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study) Randomized trial 2008 · n=3,069 · JAMA · PMID 19017911 · DOI 10.1001/jama.2008.683
- Ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment and dementia Systematic review 2009 · n=2,016 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · PMID 19160216 · DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD003120.pub3
- Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial (Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study)
Despite its popularity, ginkgo is a cautionary tale: the largest, longest prevention trial (GEM, >3,000 elderly over ~6 years) found no benefit, and the Cochrane treatment review called the evidence unreliable. Meanwhile it antagonises platelet function and carries a real bleeding risk.