It’s not surprising that millions of people take the herb Ginkgo biloba hoping it will help them preserve their memory and prevent Alzheimer's disease in later life. Alzheimer's is a frightening disease, and no one likes to think of losing precious memories as they grow older.
But there’s been little hard evidence to show whether this herbal medicine has any effect. The studies that have been published have often been small, with only a year or two of follow-up, or in younger people who don’t yet have any need for help with their memory.
Now a big study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that should answer the questions about Ginkgo biloba for good. Sadly, it’s bad news. This herb can’t protect against dementia, it doesn’t slow down the rate of memory loss, and it has no effect on any of the mental abilities measured in the study.
The study was done to the highest scientific standards, using more than 3,000 older people randomly assigned to take either Ginkgo or a pretend (placebo) pill, at a scientifically-established standardized dose. It followed people for an average of six years, testing their mental abilities every six months. The results should be very reliable.
Such studies are expensive to do. Alternative medicine practitioners often say that they can’t afford to run studies like this into herbal remedies and other alternative treatments. And, indeed, this study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, rather than by any of the companies that make and sell Ginkgo biloba to the public.
But could it be more than the expense that stands in the way of alternative medicine producers running properly conducted research into their products? Might it simply be that when alternative therapies are properly and rigorously tested, studies tend to come to inconvenient conclusions—that they don’t actually work?
What you need to know. Ginkgo biloba is very unlikely to help your memory, or to protect your mental abilities as you get older. Before paying for herbal medicines or other alternative remedies, it’s worth asking what evidence there is that they do any good.
—Anna Sayburn, patient editor, BMJ Group
ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.
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