Less than memorable results - updates - ginkgo biloba - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, March, 2003

Ginkgo biloba has been the subject of numerous studies on human memory.

A standardized extract is widely prescribed in Germany and France for the treatment of a range of conditions, including various memory and concentration problems.

But does ginkgo actually work? Are the favorable studies scientifically sound?

These were among the questions that researchers at Oxford, UK, set out to answer.

Jacqueline Birks, PhD, and other scientists in the team known as the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group conducted a meta-analysis--a review of all previously reported, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on this topic. While researchers actually completed their analysis in August 2002, the conclusions did not appear in the journal The Cochrane Library until the first quarterly issue of 2003.

"Many of the early trials used unsatisfactory methods, were small and may have included publication bias," the team concluded. "Overall there is promising evidence of improvement in cognition and function associated with ginkgo.

"However, the three more modern trials show inconsistent results. Our view is that there is a need for a large trial."

In other words, ginkgo shows possible benefit and may yet be proven absolutely to boost memory and concentration.

But, despite all the hoopla, studies to date have been poorly handled, and the evidence still isn't conclusive.