MRM: Ginkgo B

Ginkgo Biloba is an extract from cultivated leaves of the Ginkgo Tree. As one of the oldest living trees on the planet, Ginkgo´s medicinal use can be traced back through Chinese medical literature to 2800 BC. Ginkgo leaves have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for "their ability to benefit the brain and more".* Research has suggested the active ingredients in ginkgo biloba to be a class of compounds known as ginkgolides.

How Ginkgo Works: Platelets, irregular shaped discs in the blood, are responsible for the clotting of wounds. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is released by the platelets causing them to stick together. Studies have suggested that a component of ginkgo biloba, ginkgolide B, is a potent platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonist (2,3).*

References:

1. Lancet. 1:248, 1987.
2. J Ethnopharmacol. 50:131, 1996.
3. Drugs of the Future, 12; No 7, 1987.