Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba and Multiple Sclerosis

Another study, presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 57th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., suggests that ginkgo may be effective in improving the attention of multiple sclerosis patients with cognitive impairment.

The study's lead author, Jesus Lovera, M.D., a research fellow and instructor in neurology, OHSU School of Medicine, said those receiving ginkgo “performed better on a test that measures a person's ability to pay attention and to sort conflicting information.”

Of 39 patients completing the study, 20 received ginkgo biloba and 19 received a placebo. Researchers found there were no differences in results between the two groups in the areas of gender, education, type of MS, years since onset, or baseline performance on a battery of neuropsychological tests.

But the ginkgo group was four seconds — about 13 percent — faster than the placebo group on a timed color and word test that measures attention and such “executive functions” as planning, decision making, and controlling goal-directed behavior and execution of deliberate actions.

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