Ginkgo Biloba Can Help Stroke Survivors Bounce Back Faster

The leaves of one of the planet’s oldest tree species, ginkgo biloba, seems to help stroke survivors with the recovery efforts. The herb has been used in China and other Asian countries as a memory aid and antidepressant for centuries.

The latest study, which involved more than 300 Chinese stroke survivors, showed that after six months since their stroke, participants who regularly consumed ginkgo biloba scored higher in cognitive skill tests than those not consuming the herb.

The findings were published this week in the Stroke & Vascular Neurology journal.

Researchers admitted that the trial was rather small, so they plan a larger and longer follow-up study.

The research team included researchers from the Nanjing University Medical School and stroke patients from five major hospitals in China. All volunteers had had an ischemic stroke within one week before they were enrolled in the trial.

One group of patients were asked to take a 450 mg of the herb every day paired with 100 mg of aspirin. The control group was given just the aspirin.

Ginkgo Biloba Boosts Recovery Processes in Stroke Patient

A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is abruptly interrupted often by a blood clot. Stroke survivors often sea their cognitive skills and memory impaired after a major event.

The research team wanted to find if the mix of aspirin and gingko biloba can reverse cognitive decline after a stroke. Past mouse study revealed that the herbal remedy can keep at bay nerve cell death following an obstruction from blood clots in the brain. The herb seems to boost blood flow to the brain.

The latest study revealed that the test group had higher scores when taking cognitive tests, which included reasoning and memory, that the patients in the aspirin group.

Gingko biloba also boosted the pace at which patients regained their muscle strength and speech ability after having a stroke.
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Anne-Marie Jackson

Anna grew up on a steady diet of 20th century literature, science-fiction movies and Viking lore. Unsurprisingly she turned into a technology geek with an inclination for history & fantasy.