Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013:2013:915691.
doi: 10.1155/2013/915691. Epub 2013 May 28.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Ginkgo biloba in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: From Ancient Tradition to Modern-Day Medicine

Natascia Brondino  1 , Annalisa De Silvestri, Simona Re, Niccolò Lanati, Pia Thiemann, Anna Verna, Enzo Emanuele, Pierluigi Politi
Affiliations

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Ginkgo biloba in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: From Ancient Tradition to Modern-Day Medicine

Natascia Brondino et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013.

Abstract

Ginkgo biloba (Gb) has demonstrated antioxidant and vasoactive properties as well as clinical benefits in several conditions such as ischemia, epilepsy, and peripheral nerve damage. Additionally, Gb is supposed to act as potential cognitive enhancer in dementia. So far, several trials have been conducted to investigate the potential effectiveness of Gb in neuropsychiatric conditions. However, the results of these studies remain controversial. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis of three randomised controlled trials in patients with schizophrenia and eight randomised controlled trials in patients with dementia. Gb treatment reduced positive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and improved cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with dementia. No effect of Gb on negative symptoms in schizophrenic patients was found. The general lack of evidence prevents drawing conclusions regarding Gb effectiveness in other neuropsychiatric conditions (i.e., autism, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and addiction). Our data support the use of Gb in patients with dementia and as an adjunctive therapy in schizophrenic patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Assessment of the methodological quality of the included studies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pooled standardized mean difference compared with placebo for negative symptoms score (SANS).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pooled standardized mean difference compared with placebo for positive symptoms score (SAPS).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Pooled standardized mean difference compared with placebo for cognitive outcomes (ADAS-cog, SKT).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pooled standardized mean difference compared with placebo for activities of daily living outcomes (ADL-IS, GERRI, GBS-ADL, NAA, and NAB).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kleijnen J, Knipschild P. Ginkgo biloba. The Lancet. 1992;340(8828):1136–1139. - PubMed
    1. Ernst E. The risk-benefit profile of commonly used herbal therapies: Ginkgo, St. John’s wort, ginseng, echinacea, saw palmetto, and kava. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2002;136(1):42–53. - PubMed
    1. Kennedy DO, Wightman EL. Herbal extracts and phytochemicals: plant secondary metabolites and the enhancement of human brain function. Advances in Nutrition. 2011;2:32–50. - PMC - PubMed
    1. ATC/DDD Index 2013. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology; 2013.
    1. Koch E. Inhibition of platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced aggregation of human thrombocytes by ginkgolides: considerations on possible bleeding complications after oral intake of Ginkgo biloba extracts. Phytomedicine. 2005;12(1-2):10–16. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources