Ginkgo Biloba

Safety and Precautions

In general ginkgo is quite safe, though some people will experience upset stomach or nausea, says Dr. Ben Kligler in an article entitled, “Herbal medicines for older adults”. “The one concern has to do with ginkgo’s blood-thinning properties,” he says. “Ginkgo can interfere with the action of platelets, a type of blood element which is crucial to blood clotting. There are a few (and only a few) case reports of patients on ginkgo having unusual or excessive bleeding. Given the huge numbers of people who have been taking ginkgo over the past few years, the number of cases of bleeding reported is actually very small. To be on the safe side, however, patients on strong blood-thinning medications like Coumadin should probably not take ginkgo. If you take aspirin or other blood thinners, you should discuss this issue with your doctor. And if you are preparing for a surgical procedure and you take ginkgo, you should probably stop a week or so before the surgery to reduce the chance of any bleeding complications.”