Ginkgo manufacturers say this isn't the first -- or the last -- word on the herb.
Studies of treatment with estrogen, ginkgo biloba, vitamin E and vitamin B supplementation have been done.
CNN: Better understanding of dementia leading to more effective therapies
Across the road from his new house stands a tall ginkgo with a split trunk.
"I don't think there is a role for ginkgo biloba in human health at this point, " says Gary J.
Researchers used a ginkgo preparation from Germany, and tested it on mice in which a stroke had been induced.
The herbal supplement ginkgo biloba might be able to prevent some of the damage caused by a stroke, scientists report.
This, and possible harmful side effects have led the research team to be cautious about recommending ginkgo to stroke victims.
Though bright-red Japanese maples are most recognisable, many other showy trees burst into colour, like the deep golden ginkgo and burnt-orange zelkova trees.
These white paper sheets, printed with detailed instructions, are the key to a company, Ginkgo BioWorks, formed by Shetty with three fellow MIT Ph.
In the new study, people taking ginkgo were more likely than placebo users to have a bleeding-related stroke (16 events with ginkgo versus eight with placebo).
Ginkgo, made from the nuts and leaves of a tree, is a rich source of antioxidants - substances which it is thought can neutralise free radicals.
DeKosky says that there were two important conclusions to take away from the study: Ginkgo biloba is ineffective in battling dementia, but also that the herb is relatively safe.
"There is a significant body of scientific and clinical evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of ginkgo extract for both cognitive function and improved circulation, " said Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council.
In the new government-funded study, volunteers ages 75 and older with either normal mental function or mild cognitive impairment took a twice-daily placebo or ginkgo biloba extract (for a total of 240 milligrams per day).
Such rival brands are emphasizing their quality to health seekers like Shirley Palmer, 66, a Los Angeles writer who pops ginkgo and ginseng and a handful of vitamins on the say-so of friends and news reports.
Ginkgo, inspired by the do-it-yourself ethos of Squid Labs' Saul Griffith, will sell these standardized genetic parts dried onto sheets of paper or in vials to big companies that want to make new drugs, plastics and petroleum replacements.
Ginkgo is a top-selling herb and has been hailed by some as a memory-booster, but the new University of Pittsburgh study found it didn't help prevent Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia in more than 3, 000 elderly study subjects.
Ginkgo supplements were no better than a placebo for preventing dementia, according to the study, which was sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.
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