Daily dose of Ginkgo biloba may prevent brain damage from stroke.

Taking a daily dose of Ginkgo biloba extract minimizes brain damage from ischemic stroke, according to a recent animal study by scientists at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. *

Mice given ginkgo extract for seven days before an induced stroke had 60% less neurological dysfunction and a 48% smaller area of brain damage, compared with untreated mice.

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Gingko biloba was also shown to be therapeutic after a stroke. Mice given the extract five minutes after a stroke had 60% less brain damage the next day. Mice given gingko 4.5 hours after a stroke had 30% less damage than mice that never received the extract.

The researchers conclude that Ginkgo biloba could be used as a preventive or therapeutic agent in cerebral ischemia if these results are duplicated in humans. The herbal extract is already widely prescribed in Europe and Asia for memory loss.

Reference

* Saleem S, Zhuang H, Biswal S, Christen Y, Dore S. Ginkgo biloba extract neuroprotective action is dependent on heme oxygenase 1 in ischemic reperfusion brain injury. Stroke. 2008 Oct 9.