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Boxing Day Sale!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
All of us here at ZooScape would like to wish you and your family HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
To show our appreciation for your continued patronage for more than 10 years, we are starting our Boxing Day Sale early!
If we have it In Stock, it's on sale.
In addition, all TerraVita teas and supplements and Bianca Rosa beauty products are on sale, whether we have it in stock or not!
Take care this holiday season. Remember, economic downturns come and go - but family and friends are forever. Hug those close to you, and take care of each other! We will all be fine.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and your family absolute peace and security in 2009.
Sincerely,
Cary James Heather
CEO
ZooScape Corporation
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ZooScape Health Newsletter
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Ginkgo Biloba: Top-Selling Brain Enhancer Worldwide!
The Living Fossil
Fossil records offer proof that the ginkgo biloba tree (also called the maidenhair tree) has been in existence for over 250 million years! In fact, the slow-growing tree that will outlive all of us and many subsequent generations is still around today. The ginkgo tree is a living symbol of longevity and tenacity: during the atomic bomb blasts of 1945 in Hiroshima, one of the only living things to survive was the ginkgo tree. Exactly four ginkgo trees growing about one to two kilometers away from the blast were scorched but, otherwise, unharmed. They are still alive today!
Ginkgo trees are praised for their resistance to just about anything that man or nature can throw at them. But their use to mankind does not stop there. The tree has been used in herbal medicine for thousands of years in China, and it has attained a special status in Buddhism and Confucianism. The nut-like seeds are not only a Chinese and Japanese culinary staple, but the exotic fan-shaped leaves are now known to provide significant and scientifically verified health benefits. It is a top-seller in today's global market of herbal medicine.
Big Business Worldwide
Commonly prescribed for conditions related to cognitive function or compromised blood flow, ginkgo is now valued by countries other than just China, Japan, or Korea. It is an extremely popular prescription supplement in Europe and has received approval by German health authorities (Commission E) for the treatment of dementia. In fact, the total retail value of all ginkgo prescriptions in Germany alone reached $280 million US as far back as fifteen years ago. A patented form of ginkgo extract known as EGb 761 (Extractum Ginkgo bilobae 761) was developed by W. Schwabe Co. of Karlsruhe, Germany.
While Americans have spent more than that (about $310 million) in 2006, Germany still remains the dominant market when current figures are compared head-to-head. Nevertheless, ginkgo has gradually attained the status of the top-selling natural brain booster in the USA, and one of the bestsellers in the American market in general. Ginkgo rules the nursing homes as well: a 2006 US study concluded that ginkgo comprises between 58% and 62% of all herbs ordered for the elderly in nursing home facilities. The herbs were used, typically, for either epilepsy/seizure prevention or dementia.1
Animal Reasearch
A 1991 study examined the ability of young adult mice to press a lever for food; after a four-week supplementation with ginkgo extract, the ginkgo group learned the task quicker than the control group.2 Ginkgo has also demonstrated antioxidant, anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-vertigo, liver-protective and radiation-protective abilities in further animal studies.
Human Clinical Trials
It is important to preface this section by mentioning that many of the studies supporting the use of ginkgo biloba have focused on the effects of the German patented Egb 761, and many of the studies have been sponsored by Schwabe Pharmaceutical Company. As one of the most studied herbs in modern medicinal usage, the research for ginkgo is extensive and not without controversy.
The causes of dementia and senility are not unanimously agreed upon and, specifically, the degree to which senile dementia is a blood circulation problem or a nerve problem. As a result, the mechanism by which ginkgo is effective for dementia is debated. It does seem to be effective nevertheless.
One major US trial examined more than 300 participants with Alzheimer's disease or non-Alzheimer's dementia. Each participant was given either 40 mg of ginkgo extract or a placebo three times daily. Improvements in the treated group were deemed statistically significant.3
Ginkgo has shown to provide enhanced memory and cognitive function in the elderly with modest but significant benefits. Improved mental capacity has been seen in placebo-controlled trials involving men and women over the age of 55 who have deemed, initially, either mentally impaired or not.4,5 However, when the studies involve younger participants, the positive benefits are less likely to be seen. Analyzing the collective research, one might conclude that in terms of memory and mental function, ginkgo is moderately effective for people over 55 and ineffective for those under 40.
The use of ginkgo for claudication (leg pain as a result of clogged arteries) may also be justified as a 24-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 111 people revealed that 120 mg daily resulted in a 20% improvement in pain-free, cramp-free walking.6
Scientific literature does suggest that ginkgo does benefit those in the early stages of Alzheimer's or multi-infarct dementia as effectively as acetylcholinesterase drugs such as donepezil (Ariceptr).
Because of the ability of ginkgo to increase blood flow, a few small studies have demonstrated how the herb might be beneficial in treating erectile dysfunction (ED) as a result of taking antidepressant medications.
With respect to tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo, glaucoma, macular degeneration, or Raynaud's disease, results are collectively weak and inconclusive. The need for well-designed research and more comparative research is required.
Under the Microscope
In the leaf, ginkgolides and flavonoids are the two groups of biochemical compounds that are the focus of most of the attention from an analytical standpoint. Flavonoids in the leaves include flavones, biflavones, flavonols, tannins, and glycosides. The leaves contain about 20 flavonoid glycosides in addition to glucosides, quercetin and kaempferol 3-rhamnosides and 3-rutinosides, p-coumaric esters of glucorhamnosides of quercetin and kaempferol, and biflavones. Biflavones include amentoflavone, bilobetol, 5-methoxybilobetol, ginkgetin, isoginkgetin, and sciadopitysin.
Terpenoid compounds called diterpenes have been identified as ginkgolides A, B, C, J, and M. Ginkgo leaves contain flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanins and high quantities of poly-isoprenoid-derived betulaprenols. The leaf also contains ginnon, ginnol, 2-hexenal, and a terpenoid called bilobalide. Essential oil in the heartwood of the tree contains monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, while the seed contains bilobol, ginkgolic acid (phenolics), and 4'-methoxypyridoxine.
Safety First
Ginkgo has shown to be very safe as evidenced by the numerous problem-free animal studies (even with extremely high doses) and human trials. Only a handful of cases of gastrointestinal discomfort, dizziness, headaches, or allergic reactions have been documented in the combined number of nearly 10,000 participants studied over the course of more than 15 years.
Of more concern, perhaps, is the potential risk of bleeding due to the blood-thinning effects of the herb. There have allegedly been one or two isolated cases of excessive bleeding to due ginkgo usage (general usage - not reported in trials) but details concerning exact dosages and the medical history of the patients are unclear. If used under the care of a qualified healthcare provider, any potential problems, as rare as they are, can be avoided.
Because ginkgo may have a thinning effect on the blood and may interfere with blood platelet function and the body's clotting mechanism, it is not recommended following surgical procedures, labor or delivery, or for use by hemophiliacs or those with other bleeding disorders. Studies have not shown any adverse effects when taken with blood-thinning medications, although, in theory, the interaction could be potentially dangerous. Consulting a qualified healthcare practitioner is always the wisest course of action.
Seizures have been reported in those who have taken large quantities of the uncooked seeds, which contain a chemical called ginkgotoxin. This chemical, however, is present in much smaller, safer amounts in the leaf and leaf extracts.
The Products
ZooScape.com offers a variety of quality ginkgo supplements in loose or bagged (filtered) teas, capsules, powders, glycerin-based extracts, blends, and even topical creams and salves.
References:
1. Ginkgo biloba Use in Nursing Home Elderly with Epilepsy or Seizure Disorder Epilepsia 47 (2), 323-329.
2. WINTER, E. (1991). Effects of an extract of Ginkgo biloba on learning and memory in mice. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav., 38, 109-114.
3. Le Bars PL, Katz MM, Berman N, et al. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia. North American EGb Study Group. JAMA. 1997;278:1327-1332.
4. Brautigam MR, Blommaert FA, Verleye G, et al. Treatment of age-related memory complaints with Ginkgo biloba extract: a randomized double blind placebo-controlled study. Phytomedicine. 1998;5:425-434.
5. Mix JA, Crews WD Jr. An examination of the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 on the neuropsychologic functioning of cognitively intact older adults. J Altern Complement Med. 2000;6:219-229.
6. Pittler MH, Ernst E. Ginkgo biloba extract for the treatment of intermittent claudication: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Med. 2000;108:276-281.
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