Dementia: Ginkgo helps - in mild cases

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.

An extract from ginkgo leaves is said to protect against age-related memory problems and dementia, among other things. Whether this is the case has long been a matter of dispute. A large overview study now shows that the remedy can actually work - but only under very specific conditions.

Proving the effectiveness of natural remedies has its pitfalls. Fluctuating active ingredient proportions and different dosages make it difficult to get a clear picture. Even in the case of Ginkgo biloba there are conflicting results.

Plant versus placebo

Researchers led by Hong-Feng Zhang from Wenzhou Medical University in Wenzhou have now again evaluated the current study situation. From a pool of more than 200 studies, they selected a total of ten studies that met their qualitative requirements.

They all examined the effects of ginkgo in comparison with a placebo. Among them were two who dealt with the preventive effects of the preparations on memory and intellectual performance. The rest looked at whether ginkgo could help with pre-existing cognitive problems.

Effective for minor problems

In fact, the study comparison showed that ginkgo can help people with Alzheimer's dementia, vascular dementia as well as so-called mild cognitive disorders - but only if the neuropsychiatric symptoms were still very mild. The undesirable side effects were no greater than when taking a placebo.

High dosage required

In the advanced stages of the disease, however, the plant extract could no longer help the patient. In addition, the effect only unfolded in a comparatively high dose of 240 mg daily. Moreover, the effectiveness has only been proven for ginkgo preparations that contained the standardized gingko extract of the EgB761 variety.

The studies do not provide any clear information that ginkgo also has a preventive effect, the researchers write.

Ancient medicinal plant

Ginkgo biloba is an ancient medicinal plant that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years against various ailments. The plant contains active ingredients such as ginkgolides, terpene lactones and flavonoids, which promote blood circulation, especially in the brain, and which can protect the cells as radical scavengers.

Tags:  vaccinations laboratory values fitness