جنکگو · maidenhair tree
Weak evidence
Studied mostly for memory. A little anxiety data, and a real bleeding risk.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
An extract from the leaves of the ginkgo tree, one of the most widely sold herbal products in the world.
Most research concerns memory and dementia, where results are unimpressive. A small number of trials in generalised anxiety reported reductions at high doses. It is not an established anxiety treatment and the risk profile is less benign than its reputation.
Anxiety trials used 240 to 480 mg daily of standardised extract.
Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.
Thins the blood - there are case reports of serious bleeding, so avoid with warfarin, aspirin or other blood thinners and stop well before surgery. May lower the seizure threshold, so avoid in epilepsy. Headache and stomach upset are common.
Widely sold, usually marketed for memory and circulation.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything else you take, prescription and herbal both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a liver, kidney, heart or thyroid condition, ask first. And if what brought you here is that you have been feeling low or frightened for weeks, that deserves more than a supplement — ask us anything, anonymously, or talk to us on WhatsApp.