Therapeutic Applications
Ginkgo extract has many therapeutic applications and indications, including: loss of alertness, allergies, asthma, vertigo, decreased blood flow to the brain, depression, hearing loss, tinnitus, heart disease, failing memory, mental confusion, senility, stroke, and loss of vision (Hobbs, 1991). A number of in vitro and well-designed clinical studies have confirmed the efficacy of Ginkgo extract for treating two major disorders:
Cerebral insufficiency is characterized by the symptoms of dizziness, orientation disorders, tinnitus, headache, memory loss, impaired vigilance, decreased concentration, lability of mood, confusion and social troubles (Hobbs, 1991).
Many conditions are the result of decreased circulation in the body and the lower limbs. Often called peripheral vascular disorders, they include idiopathic cyclic edemas (an arterial disease of the lower limbs), intermittent claudication (pain in calf muscles resulting from circulatory impairment), varicose veins, phlebitis, and hemorrhoids (Hobbs, 1991).