The Chinese team confirmed: Ginkgo biloba extract improves brain function after stroke, plus aspirin is better

The Chinese team confirmed: Ginkgo biloba extract improves brain function after stroke, plus aspirin is better

December 25, 2017 Source: Biological Exploration of: Flora

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Recently, the latest research by the Chinese team found that extracts of Ginkgo biloba can improve the memory and cognitive nerve damage caused by acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, it works better when used in combination with aspirin.

The latest research was completed by Professor Xu Yun of Nanjing University School of Medicine and Nanjing Gulou Hospital, together with the research team of Suzhou First People's Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University. The research results are published in the journal Stroke & Vascular Neurology.

They confirmed that taking Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) and aspirin daily can improve the memory and executive ability of patients with ischemic stroke, and the effect is significantly better than using aspirin alone.

â–‹ 1 , Ginkgo biloba extract

Ginkgo biloba, known as the “living fossil” in the plant world, has been used in China for thousands of years, including promoting wound healing and relieving anxiety and depression. In the United States, Europe, and Canada, Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is also marketed as a food supplement in over-the-counter form.

The composition of GBE is complex and varies depending on the age, cultivated area and male and female of the tree. Ginamond (EGb761) is a marketed Ginkgo biloba extract product developed by Dr Willmar Schwabe in Germany in the 1990s and contains 24% flavonoid glycosides, 6% steroidal lactones, and 0.8% ginkgo. Ester and a small amount of harmful substances (<5 ppm) - ginkgolic acid.

Although studies have shown that EGb761 can protect against brain damage caused by ischemia by scavenging free radicals, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) believes that there is no “conclusive evidence that ginkgo is good for health”. Moreover, the effect of GBE on ischemic stroke is not clear.

Now, this latest study by the Chinese team confirms that it helps with ischemic stroke.

â–‹ 2 , 6 months patient test

Professor Xu Yun and the team recruited 348 patients (average age 64 years) from five hospitals in Jiangsu Province. They had an acute ischemic stroke in the past 7 days - blood vessels that supply blood to the brain are blocked. The most common cause of a condition is a blood clot.

This blockage will expose the brain to a dangerous state of hypoxia and lack of nutrients, eventually causing damage to brain cells, causing side effects including memory impairment, cognitive decline, and loss of motor function.

The tissue plasminogen activator is currently the gold standard method for the treatment of ischemic stroke, which relieves brain damage by dissolving blood clots to clear blood vessels. However, this therapy must be implemented within 3 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, and many patients are unable to receive timely treatment during this “golden time”. Therefore, scientists hope to find drugs that slow down brain function damage.

The Xu Yun team believes that Ginkgo biloba extract is expected to be a potential candidate. To test this hypothesis, they divided the subjects into two groups – one group received “450 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract + 100 mg of aspirin daily”; the other group received only “100 mg of aspirin”. (Aspirin is often used to prevent and treat stroke, which prevents blood from clotting).

During the 12, 30, 90, and 180 days of the trial, all participants received a test called “Montreal Cognitive Assessment score” (MoCA) to assess their cognitive abilities.

Compared to EGb761, Ginkgo biloba extract used in the test contained a slightly less harmful substance (<2 ppm) and other protective substances were relatively high.

In the end, 330 patients (with 18 withdrawals during the period) insisted on completing a six-month trial.

▋ 3 , “Ginkgo Biloba Extract + Aspirin” works better

The results showed that patients who received combination therapy had better outcomes in the MoCA test than those who took aspirin alone, especially in terms of memory and executive ability. At the same time, on days 12 and 30 of treatment, patients taking ginkgo biloba extract and aspirin showed more improvement than those who only took aspirin, including nerve damage, language impairment, and muscle weakness.

The researchers found no significant differences in vascular status between the two groups, but the combination therapy had few side effects.

These results indicate that stroke patients receiving "ginkgo biloba extract + aspirin" treatment, improved in memory, executive and neurological side. In addition, safety data analysis showed that Ginkgo biloba extract did not increase the incidence of adverse events.

The Xu Yun team emphasized that this study has certain limitations. For example, it is not a double-blind trial and has a short follow-up period. Therefore, more research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on stroke patients.

References: 1) Stroke: This herbal extract could improve brain function

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