Ginkgo is OLD. Like, really old.
Ginkgo biloba belongs to an ancient lineage of trees that stretches back millions of years, with fossil relatives dating all the way back to the age of the dinosaurs. It’s also the only living species left in the family Ginkgoaceae. ONE species! I don’t know, I just think that’s incredibly cool.
Humans have a long history with Ginkgo, too. The tree has been cultivated in China for centuries, and its seeds have a history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. The leaves that we’re much more familiar with in modern herbal medicine came into the picture later.
And those little fan-shaped leaves have generated A LOT of research.
Most people probably know Ginkgo as the “memory herb,” but researchers have investigated it far beyond memory alone. Its chemistry, effects on circulation, oxidative stress, and neurological function have all received attention, with a mixture of laboratory, animal, and human research behind the claims we see attached to Ginkgo today.
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