Ginkgo Biloba

hi there what you guys think about Ginkgo Biloba ?
"Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba Extract has been indicated to develop hair on rats when administered orally. Analyses have demonstrated it to be an inhibitor of tgf-b1.
Remaining tgf-beta inhibitors include proanthocyanindins of cocoa, black tea, grape seeds, barley and apples. One company has an apple polyphenol chemical compound for topical application, and some apparently solid data to back it up."
seems interesting...

off the cuff and not related to hair: if you are prone to any sleep problems--busy mind--use caution. Personally, I feel great for the first day or two on it until sleep deprivation takes its toll. I can go two days with no sleep like a champ on ginkgo. I have an older friend who can't relate to my experience. He uses it daily and relies on it for energy.

That said, even a topical would be out of the question, as I have had to drop simple skin moisturizers because they contained ginkgo and had the same effect.

enhances dopamine, not for me.

Well, its part of a regimen that's working well for the me just now. Hard to know how big a part its playing.

About 2 weeks after taking it I had a big lift in libido, but this dropped off after a week or so.

The most positive aspect after 6-ish weeks is that it helps me to think more clearly at work. Seems to be a mild antidepressant as well.

but this product is not like minoxidil oral right ? i mean minoxidil oral do build haird in all the body... is not the case for this product right?

CausticSymmetry any advise about this supplement ?

Marvey - In terms in skin and inflammation ginkgo appears to be useful. But on the basis of its strength in other studies, I do not consider it essential as there are other supplements that have more potent and cover more area. Here are two interesting studies on it.

Gingko biloba extract reduces VEGF and CXCL-8/IL-8 levels in keratinocytes with cumulative effect with epigallocatechin-3-gallate.
Trompezinski S, Bonneville M, Pernet I, Denis A, Schmitt D, Viac J.

Université de Lyon, EA4169, Hôpital E. Herriot, 69437, Lyon, France, s.trompezinski@dipta.fr.

In skin inflammation, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CXCL-8/IL-8 play an important role and are produced by activated keratinocytes. Extracts from Ginkgo biloba leaves (GBE), widely used in phytotherapy, have been reported to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in the skin. We therefore evaluated the effects of GBE on the release of VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 by normal human keratinocytes (NHKs) activated by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha). Moreover, as we previously showed that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) reduces VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 secretion in TNFalpha-activated NHKs, we also tested its effect in association with GBE. Our results showed that GBE exerted a potent inhibition on VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 levels in activated cells. In association with EGCG, GBE down-regulated VEGF and CXCL8/IL-8 levels in a cumulative manner in TNFalpha-stimulated NHKs. These results suggest that GBE, alone or in association with EGCG may contribute to moderate inflammatory processes in skin diseases associated with angiogenesis.

Phytother Res. 2009 Apr;23(4):477-85.
Ginkgo biloba extract prevents glucose-induced accumulation of ECM in rat mesangial cells.
Ji L, Yin XX, Wu ZM, Wang JY, Lu Q, Gao YY.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou 221004, China.

Pathological remodeling characterized by extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation contributes to diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study evaluated the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) on the metabolism of the ECM in rat mesangial cells cultured in hyperglycemic conditions. The cultured mesangial cells in high glucose conditions were allotted into six groups: normal control group, high glucose group, low concentration of GbE group, moderate concentration of GbE group, high concentration of GbE group, and captopril group. In the presence of high glucose, the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) were decreased significantly, and the levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were increased significantly. These changes were reversed by GbE. GbE lowered the levels of transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) of the high glucose group. Furthermore, GbE also decreased the expressions of collagen IV and laminin of the high glucose group. In summary, the results suggest that GbE postpones the extracellular matrix accumulation by inhibiting the synthesis of ECM and promoting the degradation of ECM, and therefore, is a potential drug for the prevention and treatment of DN. (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.