Ginkgo does not increase your risk for bleeding.

Ginkgo is an herb that increases circulation and can enhance your memory. It also thins the blood. This is good news if you want to avoid taking aspirin (aspirin can irritate the stomach lining and cause bleeding). If ginkgo thins your blood and you're already taking Coumadin, can this combination contribute to excessive bleeding?

Not according to several recent studies.

One huge study looked at over 320,000 patients who took ginkgo either alone or with antieoagulant and anti-platelet drugs. Researchers found that ginkgo did not increase a person's risk for bleeding even when they were taking blood-thinning drugs. They also found that ginkgo does not interfere with the action of drugs like Coumadin.

Another study looked at the bleeding time in older patients who were taking a ginkgo extract. Most, by the way, were women (so we know it's not something that's true just for men). All of the patients took 80 mg of a standardized ginkgo three times a day). And rest assured it came up safe after thorough testing.

Gaus, W., et al. "Identification of adverse drug reactions by evaluation of a prescription database, demonstrated for 'risk of bleeding.'" Methods Inf Med, 2005.

Halil, M., et al. "No alteration in the PFA-100 in vitro bleeding time induced by the Ginkgo biloba special extract, Egb 761, in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment," Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis, 2005.