ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GINKGO BILOBA

“The ginkgo tree is from the era of dinosaurs, but while the dinosaur has been extinguished, the modern ginkgo has not changed. After the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the ginkgo was the first tree that came up. It’s amazing”.

Koji Nakanishi

This extraordinary and unique tree has a very long history. The ginkgo tree is often called a “living fossil” because it’s one of the oldest living tree species on Earth (it dates back to the Mesozoic era, about 270 million years ago). It’s the only existent plant that belongs to the Ginkgo genus, Ginkgoaceae family, all the others are now extinct. Ginkgo biloba is native to China but nowadays people cultivate it in some regions of North America and Europe. This deciduous tree is large, usually 20-35 m tall with an angular crown and long branches. Ginkgoes are dioecious, it means that some of them are male and others are female. The roots are strong and deep which makes the tree very resistant to any external effects. The leaves are green and fan-shaped. They are usually 5-10 cm long. In the fall ginkgo trees look gorgeous as the leaves acquire beautiful saffron yellow color.

Key Components

• Flavonoids
• Terpenoids

Interesting Ginkgo Facts

• It’s often considered to be one of the wonders of the world due to its longevity. The tree can live up to several thousand years, the oldest ginkgo tree is 3,500 years old and grows in China
• Ginkgo is included into the IUCN Red List of endangered plants.
• It’s interesting that ginkgo biloba trees were the only plants that survived after the atomic bomb explosion over Hiroshima in Japan.
• It is believed that Confucius used to pass the time reading, thinking and teaching under the ginkgo tree.
• Ginkgo tree is renowned as a symbol of peace and hope.
• A ginkgo leaf is a symbol of Tokio.
• The trees are considered to be sacred in Japan and are often planted around temples.
• Ginkgo trees are often used to make bonsai.
• Ginkgo nuts are eatable and make part of traditional Chinese cuisine.
• The bark and leaves of this tree secrete a sap which serves as a natural defense against fire.

How to Use Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo leaves are processed and used in the form of capsules, tablets, supplements, tea, skin products, powders, tinctures, extracts. 

Ginkgo Tea for Memory

What you need:

• 5 fresh ginkgo leaves or 2 tsp of dried leaves
• 1 cup of water

Boil the water and add the leaves, steep for 10 minutes. Then strain the mixture. The tea is ready!