Ginkgo biloba may improve cognitive recovery after stroke

A therapy consisting of the active ingredients of Ginkgo biloba (an herb extracted from the dried leaves and seeds of the ginkgo tree, one of the oldest living tree species native to East Asia), administered intravenously, is widely used to treat treat stroke in China due to its potential antioxidant properties that protect nerve cells from cognitive damage.

Although this compound is only approved in the United States as a dietary supplement, researchers from the American Heart Association have released pilot study in China which showed that People with ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot had better early cognitive recovery. when treated with intravenous injections of a combination of biologically active components of ginkgo biloba (called ginkgo diterpene lactone meglumine- GDLM

), during the first two weeks after a stroke. Basic scientific research has previously shown that GDLM may promote the secretion of chemicals associated with Avoid neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Early last year, a team of scientists published the results of a multicenter study conducted in China showing that People with ischemic stroke recovered better from general stroke symptoms if they were treated with daily injections of GDLM.. The current study analyzed the cognitive recovery of participants in this first study.

“If our positive results are confirmed in other studies, GDLM injections could one day be used to improve the cognitive function of patients after ischemic stroke,” said Anxin Wang, associate professor of clinical epidemiology at Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

Researchers analyzed the cognitive recovery of 3163 stroke survivors (mean age 63 years; 36% women).

were treated for mild to moderate ischemic stroke at 100 centers in China. At 48 hours after stroke, approximately half of the survivors were randomly assigned to receive daily intravenous injections of 25 mg GDLM for 14 days, while the other half received daily intravenous injections of placebo. Cognitive performance was assessed pretreatment, 14 days, and 90 days using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a 30-item individual cognitive screening test commonly used in stroke survivors. At baseline—48 hours after stroke and before treatment—most patients had moderately poor cognitive status, with a mean score of 17 out of 30.

At day 14, stroke survivors who received injections of a ginkgo biloba compound had improved cognitive scores compared to those who received a placebo. (average 3.93 points versus more by 3.62 points, respectively); and after three months the improvement averaged 5.51 points versus 5.04 points, respectively.

“The proportion of patients achieving a clinically significant level of improvement was 20% in the GDLM group,

This indicates that these injections may improve cognitive function in patients with acute ischemic stroke,” Wang said. “GDLM has demonstrated neuroprotective effects through several mechanisms, such as dilation of cerebral blood vessels, improved tolerance of brain cells to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and increased cerebral blood flow. It also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic (cell death) neuroprotective properties,” he emphasized.