Study: Long-Term Use of Gingko Biloba Improves Memory

People who took gingko biloba for six months had significant improvement in verbal recall when compared with a group that received a placebo, according to a small study reported November 10 at the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in New Orleans.

Gingko biloba is a Chinese herb often used as a dietary supplement to treat memory loss.

The six-month University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) study is the first to measure the effects of gingko biloba over a longer period of time. Most previous studies have measured the effect of the supplement over 12 weeks or less.

The study involved 10 patients between the ages of 45 to 75 who did not have dementia but complained of mild age-related memory loss. Four patients received 120 milligrams of ginkgo biloba twice daily, while six received a placebo.

Using cognitive tests to measure verbal recall and positron emission tomography (PET) to measure brain metabolism, the researchers found that participants taking gingko biloba improved their ability to recall things that they had heard.

"Our findings suggest intriguing avenues for future study, including using PET with a larger sample to better measure and understand the impact of gingko biloba on brain metabolism," said study author Dr. Linda Ercoli, an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.

Researcher Dr. Gary Small, director of the Aging and Memory Research Center at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, said the study also raises questions about the quality of the gingko biloba that is currently available to consumers.

"The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary supplements, and the quality of retail supplies varies widely," said Small. "We used only the highest grade of ginkgo biloba in conducting our research."

Other sources: UCLA