Ginkgo Baloba

No one is certain how many people in the United States take ginkgo biloba, hoping to word off dementia or to slow Alzheimer’s Disease, but sales of the supplement exceeded $249 million in 2006.

The question is: Does it work?

In the Nov. 19, 2008 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers report that the herbal supplement showed no evidence of reducing the overall incidence of either Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

Moreover, the following is from two well known medical doctors who specialize in slowing the aging process:

"Many people believe that the supplement ginkgo biloba improves brain function by increasing blood flow and thinning your blood — which theoretically helps both minimal cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s patients. But all recent data shows that ginkgo offers no better protection from the effects of aging than a placebo."

— YOU The Owners Manual
Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.

A 2007 review of 35 trials involving about 4,200 patients found "inconsistent and unconvincing" evidence of clinically significant benefits for the supplement in people with dementia.

Full WebMD report.

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