Results of a recent study suggest that ginkgo biloba does not help to boost memory. Gingko has been marketed as a memory-enhancing supplement for some years, and several studies have suggested that it could help to treat some of the symptoms of dementia. However, results of this study of 230 men and women and 60 and over revealed that the herbal extract has no measurable benefit on the memory, attention, or concentration of healthy adults. Dr Richard Harvey, director of research for the UK’s Alzheimer’s Society, which is currently funding two research projects into the use of gingko to treat dementia, said of the findings: “If ginkgo does do anything for healthy older people, then it would be more likely to show an ability to protect people against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s – not something that could be seen in this short term research.”
The study was conducted by Paul Solomon and colleagues from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and The Memory Clinic in Bennington, Vermont.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2002; 288: 835
