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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:07 am Post subject: Gingko biloba, an inhibitor of VEGF
I have been adjusting the doses of salvia to a much lower 3.6g a day as the higher doses were actually counter-productive and I now am experimenting with a much lower maintenance dose. Part of my research on salvia led me to gingko biloba which has similar vasodilatory roles but is also a strong inhibitor of VEGF which causes vascular permeability which is a major problem in MS. I have just been doing a test of the efficacity of the gingko which I call the 5 minute walk tingle test. This morning some four hours after my initial dose of 1.2g salvia and 1.2g gingko I walked for about 5 minutes down the road. On getting to a seat I got a big tingling sensation in the left leg which is something I have often experienced. So I took another 1.2g of the salvia and another 1.2g of the gingko with some curcumin and scutellaria. About 40 minutes later and after another 5 minutes the tingling was much more subdued. About 2 hours later I decided to do this with ginkgo alone. So I took another 1.2g of gingko, waited an hour, walked for 5 minutes and then sat down to check the tingles - this time hardly a tingle at all!!!! I think gingko is probably better at inhibiting VEGF and may therefore be far more useful than the salvia. _________________ 1st traceable symptoms Jan 01, last edss by doctor 6.5. Feeling better on salvia/ginkgo, curcumin, scutellaria, capsaicin, inosine. Interest in vit k, calcification inhibitors. Not sure re horsechestnut (2 vasoconstrictive?)
I really don't want to rain on your parade, but I saw this a while ago, and since you're taking large quantities of ginkgo, I thought I'd at least mention it...
Quote:
On the ever-profitable herbal front, you see all sorts of claims made for Gingko biloba extract and cognitive function, and there are a lot of contradictory studies (many of which, unfortunately, aren't worth much). This latest one won't help much - in the intent-to-treat analysis, no effect was seen. When they controlled for how well patients stuck to the treatment, then some correlations emerged between taking the extract and slower rates of memory loss. Unfortunately, a correlation (at the same level of significance) emerged with stroke and associated TIAs. My prediction: the ginkgo biloba sellers will trumpet the first set of statistics, assuming they need recourse to any data at all, and ignore the second one completely.
Yes, I read that and some of the trials on Pubmed where absurdly low dosages are used. For instance one of the trials which showed no efficacity in humans used a mere 300mg a day!!! I weigh 60kg. These are herbs. They are plants, not superrefined, expensive pharmaceutical products. I very much doubt that anyone would experience anything from any herb using only 300mg a day. My chinese doctor prescribes herbs in a minimum of a gram a day. One of the easiest ways for modern pharmaceutical companies to dismiss herbs is by using only ineffective amounts of herbs. Their business is to dismiss and prevent the widespread use of herbs and to that end they conduct trials using negligible quantities of herbs. Now I'm not saying that we should all be taking 20grams a day but you have to be trying with more than a gram a day to see an effect. In my opinion!!
For example in this trial they use 300mg a day:
Quote:
1: J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2008 Jul-Aug;28(4):258-65. Links
Effect of Ginkgo biloba (EGb 761) on treadmill walking time among adults with peripheral artery disease: a randomized clinical trial.Gardner CD, Taylor-Piliae RE, Kiazand A, Nicholus J, Rigby AJ, Farquhar JW.
Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, California 94305, USA. cgardner@stanford.edu
PURPOSE: Medical therapies for treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD) are limited. Ginkgo biloba has been reported to increase maximal and pain-free walking distance among patients with PAD; however, the evidence is inconsistent. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 300 mg/d of Ginkgo biloba (EGb 761) versus placebo on treadmill walking time and related cardiovascular measures among patients with PAD. METHODS: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design trial with a 4-month duration was used. Participants were 62 adults, aged 70 +/- 8 years (mean +/- SD), with claudication symptoms of PAD. The primary study outcomes were maximal and pain-free walking time on a treadmill. Secondary outcomes included flow-mediated vasodilation, a measure of antioxidant status as assessed by determining antibody levels to epitopes of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and questionnaires addressing walking impairment and quality of life. RESULTS: Maximal treadmill walking time increased by 20 +/- 80 and 91 +/- 242 seconds in the placebo and the EGb 761 groups, respectively (P = .12). Pain-free walking time increased by 15 +/- 31 and 21 +/- 43 seconds, respectively (P = .28). No significant differences were detected between groups for any of the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In older adults with PAD, Ginkgo biloba produced a modest but insignificant increase in maximal treadmill walking time and flow-mediated vasodilation. These data do not support the use of Ginkgo biloba as an effective therapy for PAD, although a longer duration of use should be considered in any future trials.
PMID: 18628657 [PubMed - in process]
_________________ 1st traceable symptoms Jan 01, last edss by doctor 6.5. Feeling better on salvia/ginkgo, curcumin, scutellaria, capsaicin, inosine. Interest in vit k, calcification inhibitors. Not sure re horsechestnut (2 vasoconstrictive?)
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:49 am Post subject: MS trial using 240mg gingko a day!
This trial shows results using the to my mind frankly laughably low quantity of 240mg a day. I'm on 4.8g a day! And it's GREAT!
Quote:
1: Explore (NY). 2006 Jan;2(1):19-24.Links
The effect of Ginkgo biloba on functional measures in multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Johnson SK, Diamond BJ, Rausch S, Kaufman M, Shiflett SC, Graves L.
University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.
BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating neurological disease afflicting young and middle-aged adults, resulting in problems with coordination, strength, cognition, affect, and sensation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether a ginkgo extract (EGb 761) improved functional performance in individuals with MS. DESIGN: This study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group design. The end point was change between baseline (ie, preintervention) and follow-up evaluation following a regimen of four tablets per day at 60 mg per tablet for four weeks. SETTING: The study was conducted in academic and clinical-based settings. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two individuals with MS were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control condition. Groups did not differ with respect to age, IQ, and education. INTERVENTION: Half of the subjects received 240 mg per day of ginkgo special extract (EGb 761), and the other half received placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The main outcome measures assessed depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale [CES-D]), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]), fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale [MFIS]); symptom severity (Symptom Inventory [SI]) and functional performance (Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis [FAMS]). RESULTS: The ginkgo group had significantly more individuals showing improvement on four or more measures with improvements associated with significantly larger effect sizes on measures of fatigue, symptom severity, and functionality. The ginkgo group also exhibited less fatigue at follow-up compared with the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory pilot study showed that no adverse events or side effects were reported and that ginkgo exerted modest beneficial effects on select functional measures (eg, fatigue) among some individuals with MS.
spinal repair for rats who get 100mg gingko per kg body weight (if that were me I'd get around 6grams a day):
Quote:
1: Spinal Cord. 2006 Nov;44(11):662-7. Epub 2006 Jan 17. Links
Erratum in:
Spinal Cord. 2006 Nov;44(11):697. Zuo, H-Z [corrected to Zuo, H-C].
Protective effects of extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb 761) on nerve cells after spinal cord injury in rats.Ao Q, Sun XH, Wang AJ, Fu PF, Gong K, Zuo HC, Gong YD, Zhang XF.
State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
STUDY DESIGN: An experimental animal model was used to assess spinal cord injury following lateral hemitransection at thoracic spinal cord level. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb) could have a neuroprotective effect in spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. SETTING: Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, China. METHODS: A total of 72 adult rats were divided randomly into three groups: the EGb group, normal saline (NS) group, and sham operation group (sham group). After thoracic spinal cord hemitransection was performed at the level of the 9th thoracic vertebra (T9), rats in the EGb group were given 100 mg/kg EGb 761 daily, while rats in the NS group received NS. The rats in the sham group only underwent laminectomy without spinal cord hemitransection. At various time points after surgery, thoracic spinal cords were sampled and sliced for histochemistry, immunohistochemistry of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) of apoptotic cells. RESULTS: Myelin staining showed that the area of cavities was small and the demyelinated zones were limited at and around the injury site of the spinal cord in the EGb group, while the area of cavities was large and the demyelinated zones were serious in the NS group. Nissl staining showed that the ratio of bilateral ventral horn neurons (transection side/uninjured side) in the EGb group was higher than that in the NS group (P<0.05). The apoptotic index and the percentage of iNOS-positive cells were lower in the EGb group than in the NS group. Furthermore, the percentage of iNOS-positive cells positively correlated with the apoptotic index (r( 2)=0.729, P<0.01) after SCI. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that EGb 761 could inhibit iNOS expression and have neuroprotective effect by preventing nerve cells from apoptosis after SCI in rats.
but disaster it stops one absorbing alcohol as does citrus unshui (hesperidin). AAAAAARGH! Oh no! Well I'll just have to drink more.
Quote:
1: J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2005 Dec 10;68(23-24):2219-26. Links
Altered oral absorption of alcohol by combined aqueous extracts of four herbal plants in rats.Shin BS, Jun H, Lee DE, Lee KR, Park ES, Yoo SD.
College of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Changan-gu, Suwon, Kyonggi-do, Korea.
This study examined the effect of combined aqueous extracts (BHR) of Ginko biloba, Mentha arvensis var. piperascens, Citrus unshiu, and Pueraria lobata var. chinensis on oral absorption of alcohol in rats. The rats were pretreated with BHR, placebo solution identical to BHR without the herbal extract, and isotonic saline. Alcohol was administered orally at 1- and 3-g/kg doses and the absorption profiles were compared. After oral administration of 1-g/kg doses, mean area under the curve (AUC) and C(max) values were significantly reduced in BHR-treated rats (16.1 +/- 10.0 and 0.3 +/- 0.1 mg/ml, respectively) as compared with saline-treated (37.9 +/- 14.4 and 0.7 +/- 0.7 mg/ml, respectively) and placebo solution-treated (63.0 +/- 46.4 and 0.7 +/- 0.4 mg/ml, respectively) rats. Similarly, after administration of 3-g/kg doses, mean AUC and C(max) values in BHR-treated rats (188.1 +/- 119.7 mg(.)min/ml and 1.0 +/- 0.4 mg/ml) were significantly reduced over those in saline-treated rats (571.4 +/- 512.4 mg(.)min/ml and 1.8 +/- 0.9 mg/ml, respectively). The relative oral bioavailability of alcohol calculated as the ratio of AUC(BHR)/AUC(Saline) was 42.5% and 32.9% at 1- and 3-g/kg doses, respectively. The reduced serum alcohol levels as well as the reduced AUC and C(max) after pretreatment with BHR appear to be a result of a reduced systemic absorption not due to an increased metabolic clearance.
PMID: 16326435 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
link _________________ 1st traceable symptoms Jan 01, last edss by doctor 6.5. Feeling better on salvia/ginkgo, curcumin, scutellaria, capsaicin, inosine. Interest in vit k, calcification inhibitors. Not sure re horsechestnut (2 vasoconstrictive?)
Fraid not, cureo. I'm currently taking 4.8g of gingko from herbalextractsplus but am going to stop using them as I have lost confidence in their pills as the degree of variability in the smell, taste and appearance is way too high.
I also think herbalextractsplus just give the dried herbs rather than a special extract. _________________ 1st traceable symptoms Jan 01, last edss by doctor 6.5. Feeling better on salvia/ginkgo, curcumin, scutellaria, capsaicin, inosine. Interest in vit k, calcification inhibitors. Not sure re horsechestnut (2 vasoconstrictive?)
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