Ginkgo Herbal Medicines May Increase Seizures In People With Epilepsy

[HuckleB]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/177446.php

"Restrictions should be placed on the use of Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba) - a top-selling herbal remedy - because of growing scientific evidence that Ginkgo may increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy and could reduce the effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs, a new report concludes. The article appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Natural Products. It also suggests that Ginkgo may have harmful effects in other people after eating raw or roasted Ginkgo seed or drinking tea prepared from Ginkgo leaves.

Eckhard Leistner and Christel Drewke note that consumers use pills, teas, and other products prepared from leaves of the Ginkgo tree to treat a wide array of health problems. Those include Alzheimer's disease and other memory loss, clinical depression, headache, irritable bladder, alcohol abuse, blockages in blood vessels, poor concentration, and dizziness. Scientific concern focuses mainly on one chemical compound in the herb. It is a potentially toxic material known as ginkgotoxin.

..."


Link to the review itself: http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/np9005019

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Yes, more research is necessary, but side effects are not the sole domain of big pharma, so noting the possible side effects of "natural" products is also necessary.

[MineralMan]

1. I read the paper. This study of the commonly-used

product points out the risks that casual users of these "natural" medications run some risks if they do not control their intake carefully. The problem is that many people do not know the appropriate dosing and that the amount of active components is not tested in some Ginkgo products for sale on the alternative medicine market.

While it is true that many of our medications have their origins in the plant world, use of plant-based medications requires careful dosing and knowledge of contraindications. That information is rarely mentioned in web site and magazine articles touting the benefits of herbal medications. Because of this, the theory that "If a little is good, more must be better" often applies when individuals use such products.

This study points out the folly of that approach.

[HuckleB]

2. Heck, there are plenty of people who follow that approach for all medicines.

My grandmother was one of them for a long time. It took a family intervention to get her to stop and learn about the positives and negatives of medication of all kinds.

Your post explains the situation perfectly.

:hi: