Newsgroups: alt.drugs

> I've been taking Gingko as a vitamin supplement and have noticed a marked
> increase in the level of intensity I am able to think.  It's supposed to 
> be a "smart" drug, but I didn't realize the effects were so apparent.
> Supposedly,

        From Smart Drugs and Nutrients:

        GINKGO BILOBA:          A Nootropic Herb?

Gingko biloba is the oldest species of tree known, dating back 300 years.
Extracts from the leaves of the gingko biloba tree have been used by Chin-
ese medicine for thousands of years.   European physicians write over 1.2
million prescriptions per month for it.   Gingko biloba is used to improve
cerebral circulation, mental alertness, and overall brain functioning.
 
More than 34 human studies on gingko have been published since 1975, show-
ing that gingko works by increasing blood flow throughout the body and
brain.  Gingko increases the productions of adenosine triphosphate (ATP,
the universal energy molecule).  It also improves the brain's ability to
metabolize glucose, prevents platelet aggregation inside arterial walls by
keeping them flexible, improves the transmission of nerve signals, and
acts as a powerful antioxidant.
 
Gingko biloba leaf is effective for people with symptoms of reduced blood
flow to the brain and extremities.  It has been shown to be helpful with
many of the complaints of the elderly such as:  memory loss, slow thinking
and reasoning, depression, dizziness, ringing in the ears, headaches, and
senile macular degeneration (a major cause of blindness).
 
One study even shows significant improvement in people who have both Park-
ingson's and Alzheimer's disease.  In this study 25 people w/ Parkingson's
disease and signs of Alzheimer's disease were given gingko extract daily
for one year.  They were tested with standard tests, clinical evaluations,
and a new computerized EEG.  The scores improved significantly.
 
CITE:     Funfgeld, E.W. "A natural and broad spectrum nootropic substance
          treatment of SDAT - the gingko biloba extract".
          from Progress in Clinical and Biological Research, 1989, 317
          (pp 1247-1260)
 
One study does not prove that Gingko biloba is efficacious in the treatment
of these diseases.  However, gingko is safe, inexpensive and easily obtain-
ed, and people with Parkingsons and/or Alzheimer's might consider experi-
menting with it.
 
PRECAUTIONS:  No negative effects have been reported in the literature even
in very large quantities.
 
DOSAGE: Most research has been done with a gingko biloba extract which con-
tained a 24% concentration of flavinoid extract.  At this strength, the
usual dosage is 120-160mg per day taken in three divided doses.  However,
many gingko products are lower in potency, and may require dosages as high
as 1000mg per day.  Three to six months is probably needed to evaluate the
results.
 
        Your welcome.   Buy the book, (and their sequal, smart drugs II):

"Smart Drugs and Nutrients" by Ward Dean & John Morgenthaler (1990)
ISBN# 0-9627418-9-2 ($12.95)

"Smart Drugs II" by Ward Dean / John Morgenthaler / Steven Wm. Fowkes (1993)
ISBN# 0-9627418-7-6 ($14.95)

SD2 covers totally different material than the first book:
        Deprenyl, Melatonin, Milacemide, Nimodipine, Phosphatidylserine,
        Pregnenolone, Ondansetron and Zatosetron.

The first book has almost everything else you've ever heard of:
        Pyrrolidone types (Piracetam, Oxiracetam), Hydergine, Vasopressin,
        Fipexide, Vinopocetine, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Centrophenoxine,
        Choline, AL721, DHEA, DMAE, Gerovital GH-3, Gingko, Ginseng,
        Idebenone (CoQ10), Phenytoin (dilantin), Inderal, Vincamine, etc.

.