More Nutritional Tips
Ginkgo biloba has been prized by the Chinese as an antidote for many of the afflictions of aging - including memory loss because the herb appears to increase blood flow to and within the brain. However, the main excitement over Ginkgo comes from the herb's ability to interfere with the action of a substance of the body produces called platelet activation factor (PAF). Discovered in 1972, PAF is involved in several biological processes: asthma attacks, organ graft rejection, arterial blood flow, and the internal blood clotting with heart attacks and some strokes. Ginkgo inhibits PAF thus improving the healing potential in conditions associated with aging.
Stroke
Blood flow to the brain decreases as people grow older which means less flood and oxygen for brain cells. If blood flow becomes blocked, the result is a stroke. (The third leading cause of death in the U.S.) Dozens of studies show Ginkgo increases blood flow to the brain and may even speed recover from stroke.
Heart Attack
Ginkgo may help prevent heart attacks by reducing the risk of the internal blood clots that trigger them.
Macular Degeneration
This is deterioration of the retina, the nerve-rich area in the eye necessary for sight. It is the leading cause of adult blindness, however a French study reported Ginkgo produced "significant improvement" in the vision of people suffering from this disease.
Memory and Reaction Time
As blood flow to the brain improves, so do memory and mental functioning. In one study involving eight women, short-term memory and reaction time improved "very significantly" after they took Ginkgo.
Impotence
A study published in the Journal of Urology showed Ginkgo helps relieve impotence caused by narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the penis. Sixty men with erection problems caused by impeded penile blood flow were given 60 mg. of Ginkgo a day. By the end of the yearlong study, half the men had regained the ability to maintain erections.
Chronic Ringing in the Ears (tinnitus)
A 13-months study of 103 chronic tinnitus sufferers done in Paris showed Ginkgo to be "conclusively effective." Ginkgo "Improved all the patients" taking the herb.
Asthma
PAF causes the kind of bronchial constriction typical in asthma. Ginkgo interferes with PAF and helps prevent bronchial constriction. Traditional Chinese use Ginkgo in treating asthma and other respiratory complaints.
How to Order a Bottle of Ginkgo
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