Ginkgo biloba compounds found to improve cognitive function following stroke

Medical Xpress / SciencePOD / Open Medicine ^ | March 14, 2024 | Meini Zhang et al

[ConservativeMind]

Ginkgo Diterpene Lactone Meglumine (GDLM), a group of organic compounds that derive from the Ginkgo biloba plant, can improve cognitive function in patients who recently experienced an acute ischemic stroke, according to new research.

During a stroke, impaired blood flow to the brain results in oxygen deprivation and an inflammatory response which ultimately leads to neuronal cell death. Consequently, cognitive impairment is common in stroke patients.

GDLM could have the potential as such a treatment. Ginkgo biloba, from which it derives, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat cardiovascular disease, and GDLM itself has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation and thus reduce blood clotting.

Professor Xianghong Liu and colleagues recruited 126 stroke patients for their study. Half the patients were treated with 25 mg of GDLM per day for 14 days, as well as receiving standard care, while the other half acted as a control group and received standard care alone. Over the next three to six months, the researchers performed a variety of tests on the patients, including measurements of inflammation and coagulation markers and assessments of cognitive function.

Levels of inflammatory markers fell in both the GDLM group and control group over the first 14 days, but the reduction in inflammation was greater in the GDLM group. Levels of coagulation markers had also dropped significantly in the GDLM group by day 14, but not in the control group, suggesting that GDLM treatment has an anti-coagulant effect. As blood clots often contribute to the blood vessel blockages that cause stroke, anti-coagulant effects are useful in the aftermath of a stroke.

Both the GDLM and control group demonstrated a reduction in cognitive function after the stroke; however, between three and six months afterward, it began to improve again, with the GDLM group making greater progress.

[ConservativeMind]

Ginkgo biloba compounds appear helpful with stroke recovery.

[ConservativeMind]

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[blueunicorn6]

So, if you eat that little lizard that sells insurance and that little big-footed guy who wanted to throw a ring into a volcano, you’ll be OK.

[Bob434]

folks with bleeding issues, ulcers need to be careful though- it’s not recommended for people who have bleeding issues who are advised not to take stuff like aspirin etc-

“Spontaneous Bleeding Associated with Ginkgo biloba”

“CONCLUSION

A structured assessment of published case reports suggests a possible causal association between using ginkgo and bleeding events. Given the widespread use of this herb and the serious nature of the reported events, further studies are needed. Patients using ginkgo, particularly those with known bleeding risks, should be counseled about a possible increase in bleeding risk.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1490168/

I was rushed to hospital after nearly bleeding out (Bathroom was covered in blood- woke up wedged between toilet and wall- last thing i remembered was grabbing a hold of the sink as the room began to spin thinking ‘something aint right’)- had to have transfusions- was taking ginko at the time- not sure if ginko was to blame- but could have been

[ProtectOurFreedom]

If they are helpful after stroke, what about preventing stroke?

[plain talk]

I have been taking Ginkgo Biloba for many years. If I skip a dose I have noticed reduced mental acuity. Not a wonder drug but it does seems to help.

[Lazamataz]

So, if you eat that little lizard that sells insurance and that little big-footed guy who wanted to throw a ring into a volcano, you’ll be OK.

What about the camel that walks around in the office, asking what day it is?

[Bob434]

Those are delicious too- tastes like chicken

[Lazamataz]

Everything tastes like chicken.

Except chicken.

[telescope115]

I haven’t taken ginkgo, and I won’t now that I know about it. I had a similar experience some weeks after a colonoscopy.The doc removed a polyp that didn’t heal completely. I had a stress test at the hospital and blacked out waiting for the radiologist to come (I had a partially blocked coronary artery and was going to be injected with an isotope).I bled out in the waiting area, in the wheelchair. Lucky I was in the hospital already. I had a transfusion that night, AND simultaneously drank colonoscopy prep for ANOTHER test the next day, before they could fix the heart issue. 🙄

Thanks for the info. I thank you, and my colon thanks you.

[Wilderness Conservative]

How long before Pfizer claims to own the patent to ginko biloba trees?

[Bob434]

yep- those polyp removals don’t always go right- or heal right i should say-

I had to ride all the way to hospital- 60 miles away, in my blood soaked clothes- talk about gross- When i got out, i went back to the convenience store where it happened- and the woman who had to clean the mess in the bathroom said it looked like a slaughter house in there- I apologized profusely- She musta gagged the whole way through it-

When i stumbled out of the bathroom- there was a cop sitting in a car about 10 feet away- I waved for them to come help, and they just sat there- until i collapsed again from dizziness- then they jumped into action- The one cop asked what happened, then looked in the bathroom and said “Holy Crap” or something to that effect=- and ran to the phone and called the health center/ambulance -

life has certainly been a roller-coaster- but wouldn’t change a thing really-

[chud]

I have been taking Ginkgo Biloba for many years. If I skip a dose I have noticed reduced mental acuity. Not a wonder drug but it does seems to help

Interesting, thanks for sharing that.
I'll have to buy some...

[telescope115]

I get ya…….🙂

[Max in Utah]

Ginkgo Biloba

I can testify that it works, but you can definitely get into trouble if you take too much.

I had been taking three 5mg tablets each morning with the objective of improving my short term memory. One weekday morning my old bottle was empty so I opened a new one and took three tablets.

Got to work and went to my Analytical Trouble Shooting training session. Pretty soon I was feeling anxious and depressed-- it was awful. Got up, walked out, went to the company clinic. Nurse was elsewhere, so I sat in the corner of the waiting room, rocking back and forth and experiencing the darkest despair.

After an hour or so my feelings began returning to normal so I went back to my office and spent the remainder of the day there.

When I got home that afternoon I checked the bottle of Ginko. The tablets were 15mg strength, not 5mg as I had assumed. Instead of a 15mg dose, I had taken 45mg that morning, way too much.