Ginkgo Biloba
Other names Ginkgo, Gingko, Maidenhair Tree
Ginkgo biloba has a strong reputation and a long history of use as a memory enhancer. But is it actually effective? Read on to find out what the science says.
Benefits
Read about the effects of Ginkgo Biloba in relation to the amount of evidence we've found
We analyzed data from 4 placebo-controlled studies on the effects of Ginkgo Biloba in healthy humans and summarized the results here:
| Effect | Effect size | Evidence amount |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | Minute positive | Relatively large |
| Focus | Minute positive | Relatively large |
| Energy | Minute positive | Relatively large |
Risks
The legality and side effects of Ginkgo Biloba
You should always consider the risks of a nootropic before you use it.
Side effects
No negative side effects were seen in any of the studies that we reviewed.
Interactions
Supplements and drugs can interact with Ginkgo Biloba to increase or decrease the positive or negative effects you experience. If you are already using any supplements or drugs, speak with your trusted medical professional before you experiment with Ginkgo Biloba. To learn more about the potential interactions between Ginkgo Biloba and other substances, use interaction-checker.
Legality
Is your country not included? Learn how to find out if Ginkgo Biloba is legal in your country.
Legality Disclaimer
The contents herein are not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. While we have done our best to be as accurate as possible in the information we convey to you about the legality of nootropics, there is a risk for inaccuracies and errors. If you’re uncertain about the legality of any of your actions, contact a legal counsel or your local authorities governing the legality of various substances you may want to use/import/travel with.
How To Use
Dose, frequency and duration
It is usually safer and more effective to use nootropics as they have been used in studies on humans. In the only study that we’ve reviewed, Ginkgo Biloba was used in the following ways:
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ginkgo Biloba
Which are the active ingredients in Ginkgo Biloba?
It is not known which ingredients in Ginkgo Biloba are the most relevant to its effects on cognition.
Terpene lactones are flavonoid glycosides may be to thank for the cognitive effects of Ginkgo Biloba. [1]
Which forms of Ginkgo Biloba have been studied for cognitive effects in healthy humans?
These Ginkgo extracts have been used in human studies on the cognitive effects of Ginkgo:
- 360mg GK501 [4]
- LI 1370 [13]
- This extract contains 25% total ginkgo flavonoids and 6% total terpene lactones
If you cannot find a product that has been studied in humans, you will want to follow the product selection principles outlined in the next question extra carefully.
How should I select a Ginkgo Biloba product for mood and cognition?
There are some things to consider that can increase your chances of finding a safe and effective Ginkgo Biloba product:
- Find a product with a certificate of analysis verifying that the product contains safe levels of heavy metals and other potentially dangerous chemicals
- Find a product as similar as possible to those used in studies in humans
- Look for standardized amounts of active ingredients (see the question above this one) that are likely of relevance to Ginkgo Biloba's effects on mood and cognition
A certificate of analysis is necessary for you to be certain that the product you are going to use will be safe. You should not stop searching for a product until you have found one which has a certificate of analysis. There is no way to be 100% certain that the company you are buying a product from has not faked a certificate of analysis, but them providing you with one significantly increases their commitment to the chemical purity and identity of the product, which should make you trust them more.
Ginkgo Biloba product selection is not easy because of the lack of transparency and chemical testing by most supplement companies.
When it comes to the active ingredients, that is not as crucial as a certificate of analysis. Sure, you may purchase an ineffective product if you buy one without the relevant active ingredients, but ultimately safety is more important than efficacy. The reason we say it's not crucial to find a product with standardized amounts of active ingredients as those used in studies in humans is that it is very hard to find such products as a consumer. Most products will contain a certain amount of the relevant active ingredients. If you cannot find a product with the exact same amount of active ingredients as those used in the studies, you may want to buy another product and carefully self-experiment with it to see if it has any effects.
Who should use Ginkgo Biloba?
There’s a need for more high-quality scientific information about the safety and effectiveness of Ginkgo Biloba. Specifically, there’s a great degree of individual variance in how people respond to nootropics in general and Ginkgo Biloba in particular. This means that if you use Ginkgo Biloba, you may not experience the same effects as those that were seen in scientific studies on it.
It is currently largely unknown what factors play a role in whether a nootropic will be effective for a person.
While we wait for science to explain who is likely to respond to which nootropics, patient self-experimentation with nootropics that have been found safe and effective in placebo-controlled studies in healthy humans is a proven strategy to feel and perform better with the help of nootropics.
Studies
Studies conducted on the effects of Ginkgo Biloba in healthy humans
In the 4 studies that met our inclusion criteria, 178 participants received Ginkgo Biloba. In total, we examined 12 studies on the effects Ginkgo Biloba, which you can find summaries of below.
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
Ginkgo Biloba had a moderate positive effect on cognitive performance in healthy adults
Study groups
Adults using 120 Milligram
Summary
"There was a dose-dependent improvement in speed of responding during Serial Threes following Ginkgo biloba. Different doses of Ginseng improved accuracy and slowed responses during Serial Sevens. The most striking result, however, was a highly significant and sustained increase in the number of Serial Sevens responses following 320 mg of the Ginkgo-Ginseng combination at all post-treatment testing times. This was accompanied by improved accuracy during Serial Sevens and Serial Threes following the 640 mg and the 960 mg dose, respectively."
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
Ginkgo Biloba had a very big positive effect on cognitive performance in healthy adults
Study groups
Adults using 120 Milligram
Adults using 240 Milligram
Adults using 360 Milligram
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
"The results of the current study confirm that ingestion of single doses of G. biloba, P. ginseng, and a product combining the two extracts can beneficially affect the cognitive performance of healthy young volunteers."
Study groups
Adults using 360 Milligram
This study is used in our recommendation engine calculations. Learn more about how we select studies
Summary
"For the older adult sample, longer-term memory assessed by associational learning tasks showed improvement with ginkgo (d = 0.52, p = 0.04). There was no statistically significant difference on any other measure. For the young adult group no measure showed statistically significant effects of ginkgo enhancement. There were no side effects unequivocally attributable to treatment with ginkgo and those reported by participants in the ginkgo groups were mild and similar to those reported elsewhere."
Study groups
Adults using 120 Milligram
Adults using 120 Milligram
Summary
"These findings indicate that use of Ginkgo biloba or Ginseng does not provide any quantifiable beneficial effects on memory performance in the long-term in healthy adult volunteers."
Summary
"No acute effects of Ginkgo biloba were found for any of the memory tests examined. The findings suggest that 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba has no acute nootropic effects in healthy older humans."
Summary
"G. biloba had no ascertainable positive effects on a range of targeted cognitive functions in healthy individuals."
Summary
"The results of this 6-week study indicate that ginkgo did not facilitate performance on standard neuropsychological tests of learning, memory, attention, and concentration or naming and verbal fluency in elderly adults without cognitive impairment. The ginkgo group also did not differ from the control group in terms of self-reported memory function or global rating by spouses, friends, and relatives."
Summary
"A number of the acute studies used multiple outcomes and report positive effects onone or more of these at particular time points with particular doses but these findings are either not replicated, or are directly contradicted by other studies. The evidence from longer term studies is largely negative. Of those studies which measured subjective effects, only one of five acute studies and one of six longer term studies reported any significant positive results. Overall, and in line with our previous conclusions, we have found no convincing evidence from randomised clinical trials for a robust positive effect of G.biloba ingestion upon any aspect of cognitive function in healthy young people, after either acute or longer term administration."
Summary
"There is consistent evidence that chronic administration improves selective attention, some executive processes and long-term memory for verbal and non-verbal material."
Summary
"Significant differences between the groups of subjects treated with GBE for different periods of time (4-10 months) suggests that the extract has a demonstrable effect in improving mood and the self-assessed performance of the tasks of everyday living."
Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023