Ginkgo extract 24%/6% | Ginkgo biloba

Properties: Ginkgo biloba is one of a kind. Literally – it is the last representative of its ancient family. Blessed with longevity (can live up to 4000 years) and incredibly resistant, it has outlived all of its “enemies”. Nowadays, there are no parasites or diseases that could threaten ginkgo biloba. Similarly, unusual are the properties of its bioactive compounds that give rise to its beneficial effects.  

Flavonoids and terpenoids are the most important active compounds of gingko trees. Although these two groups are huge, the exact substances found in leaves of G.biloba are not present in any other plant. That’s too bad, because they can increase neurogenesis – the development of new neural cells – even by 80%. This effect is especially prominent in the hippocampal gyrus – a structure crucial for memory processing. The active compounds found in Ginkgo biloba also increase the blood flow to the brain, which leads to better nourishment of its cells. Modern scientific studies identified mechanisms via which flavonoids and terpenoids strengthen learning capacities and memory functioning. 

The successful application of G.biloba as a memory support, especially for elderly people, motivated scientists worldwide to run a whole spectrum of studies aimed to identify other properties of this plant. Among others, results demonstrated that ginkgo extract successfully upregulates the mood and soothes the consequences of stress. Moreover, it stimulates the secretion of nitric oxide to the bloodstream. This brings an improvement of the blood flow through the vessels and thereby leads to a decrease in blood pressure and facilitates the delivery of nutrients to various body tissues. Importantly for men, these properties have a positive impact on erectile functions too. That’s not all – the research continues. Certainly, there are many more properties on ginkgo that are still unknown. After all, 250 million years of evolution is quite a lot of time for self-development. Nowadays, using the advantage of modern scientific methodology, we can easily harvest the benefits of Ginkgo biloba.

The extract from ginkgo is also used in cosmetology because of its strong antioxidative properties. Its application in the form of cream can benefit the skin in multiple ways: improves its elasticity and tenderness, enhances moisturization, and slows down the aging process. Moreover, it increases the production of collagen thereby ensuring the beautiful appearance of the complexion. Additionally, it strengthens the blood vessel cells, and that prevents the occurrence of red blushes. Therefore, cosmetics that include this extract are often recommended to reduce the aging-related effects and to soothe the couperose skin. Last but not least, gingko’s extract improves the microcirculation, and for that reason it is also used in anticellulite cosmetics.

Occurrence: Ginkgo biloba is a large, leafy tree from the gingko family. It is the last species of this ancient family that has been present on Earth for over 250 million years. Ginkgo comes from Southwest Asia. Nowadays, it grows naturally only in the southeast regions of China.

The history of ginkgo’s application in herbal medicine is also quite old. 5000 years ago it was used by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners as a remedy to ailments of the cardiovascular system, lungs or brain. The herbarium written around the year 2800 BC by a famous Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, contains the first written notion of ginkgo. Europeans’ first encounter with this plant happened at the end of the 17th century. Nowadays, it is one of the ten most popular herbs used in naturotherapy.

Biochemistry: Flavonoids, especially flavones and flavonols, are the main class of bioactive compounds found in leaves of ginkgo trees. Moreover, this part of the plant contains terpenoids: diterpene lactones (ginkgolides) and trilactone sesquiterpene (bilobalide). Terpenoids found in ginkgo biloba have a unique chemical composition that is not present in any other plant. Their structure is based on six five-membered rings condensed in the so-called cage complexes.

Fun fact: Gingko is the oldest tree on Earth that comes from the Mesosoic Era. It is particularly resistant to the adversarial impact of environmental factors. Karol Darwin was especially fascinated by this property and even called this tree a “living fossil”. It has been said that gingko was the first plant that came back to life after the nuclear attack on Hiroshima. The gingko tree that grows merely a kilometer away from the explosion epicenter released fresh leaves just a year after this tragedy took place.