Ginkgo Biloba 120mg by Source Naturals

The verdict. Correctly standardised, well priced, and carrying a reputation that a very large trial did not support. We are going to lead with the disappointing result, because a shop that only tells you the good findings is not worth reading.

Who this is for

• You want the standardised 24/6 extract that the research used, rather than ground leaf powder.
• You have read about ginkgo for circulation or tinnitus and want to try it on a short, cheap trial with clear eyes.
• You want a low-cost way to test whether it does anything for you before committing to a year's supply.

Who should skip it

If you take a blood thinner — warfarin, clopidogrel, or regular aspirin — do not take this without your doctor. Ginkgo inhibits platelet-activating factor, and there are case reports of serious bleeding, including intracranial bleeding, when it is combined with anticoagulants. Stop it at least two weeks before any surgery for the same reason. If you have epilepsy or a seizure disorder, avoid it: ginkgo has been reported to lower the seizure threshold, and ginkgotoxin in the seeds is a known convulsant. And if you are buying it to prevent dementia, read the next section before you spend the money.

What's actually in it

120 mg of ginkgo extract per tablet, 60 tablets. The specification that matters is printed on the front of the bottle: "24% flavone glycosides, 6% terpene lactones." That 24/6 ratio is the composition of EGb 761, the German extract used in essentially all of the serious clinical research, and it is the only way to know a ginkgo product bears any relation to the studies. A bottle that says "ginkgo biloba leaf, 1000 mg" with no percentages is a different product wearing the same name. This one states the ratio on the label rather than burying it, which is the reason it is on this shelf.

What the research actually looks at

The honest headline: the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study followed more than 3,000 older adults for around six years on 120 mg twice daily and found no reduction in the incidence of dementia or Alzheimer's disease compared with placebo. That is a large, long, well-run trial and it is the single most important fact about this supplement. Smaller trials in people who already have dementia have shown modest improvement on cognitive scales, and European practice still uses it there. Evidence for tinnitus and for intermittent claudication exists but is inconsistent. In healthy adults looking for sharper memory, controlled trials have generally found nothing.

How we'd use it

One tablet daily with food, or the studied 120 mg twice daily if you are giving it a proper trial — at which point this bottle is a month. Give it eight to twelve weeks; ginkgo is slow, and anything you notice in the first week is not the ginkgo. If you are testing it for tinnitus or circulation, write down a specific measure before you start, because those are exactly the symptoms that wishful thinking edits.

The honest trade-offs

• The biggest trial was negative. Ginkgo does not appear to prevent dementia, and that is what most people are buying it for.
• The bleeding risk is real, not a formality. This is the herb most likely to matter if you take anything for your heart.
• Product quality across the category is poor. Independent testing has repeatedly found ginkgo supplements adulterated or short on the marker compounds. Standardisation is your only protection.

Bottom line

The right extract at the right specification for about sixteen dollars, attached to a claim the evidence does not support. Buy it as a cheap, honest experiment for circulation or tinnitus. Do not buy it to protect your memory — that question has been asked properly and the answer was no.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Nothing here is medical advice — talk to a qualified professional before taking ginkgo, particularly if you take blood thinners, have a seizure disorder, or have surgery scheduled.