Ginkgo is considered a flavonoid and adaptogenic drug, with mainly geriatric valence. The leaves of this dioecious tree, mainly used for ornamental purposes, are dried and are rich in flavonoids. Other associated compounds that contribute to the herbal expression of Ginkgo are sesquiterpenes with alcoholic functions.
Leaves of Ginkgo biloba
The leaves that are used are often those of the cultivated male Ginkgo plant; the female specimens are instead smaller, because they are disadvantaged by the inconvenience of having seeds rich in butyric acid, short chain fatty acid, therefore volatile, which gives off a bad smell in the surrounding environment. The leaves are characterized by a fan shape and a typical yellow color, which occurs once the present chlorophyll is completely degraded, leaving only the flavonoids (flavus = yellow).
Ginkgo is called a geriatric adaptogen, because the products formulated on the basis of this drug are usually recommended for elderly people, who have difficulties concerning memory; Ginkgo, in fact, with its flavonoids, improves cerebral circulation. Not surprisingly, therefore, Ginkgo is a drug capable of improving the cerebral microcirculation, thus reducing the intensity of cell death that intensely characterizes the advanced age of people. Ginkgo, in addition to the adaptogenic property, also boasts an antithrombotic action, ie anti-platelet aggregation; therefore it reduces the formation of microtrombi, which favor the necrosis of brain cells (today a very common pathology among elderly people).
