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On a rescent edition of the TV show NIGHTLINE on ABC television the topic of Gingko Biloba was the topic of conversation. The pros and cons of this herbal medication were debated. Like any other quick fix or the magic bullet, care needs to be taken before using this product. On the show there was apreliminary report as to Gingko Biloba having some positive effect on Alzheimer's patients.
HERBAL EXTRACT CAN DAMAGE EYES
NEW YORK, April 10, 1997 (Reuters) -- A common "alternative" medicine herbal extract can produce bleeding within the eye, researchers report.
"We report a case of ocular hemorrage associated with the ingestion of Gingko Biloba extract, an over-the-counter herbal medication," say Drs. Marc Rosenblatt and Joel Mindel, Opthalmologists at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. They describe the case in a letter published in the current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. A 70-year-old man arrived at their clinic, complaining of recurrent blurred vision in his right eye. Rosenblatt and Mindel discovered "a fine stream of blood oozing down from the 12 o'clock position of the margin of the iris" within the eye itself. "The bleeding stopped spontaneously after five minutes," they report.
Questioning the man, they discovered that "one week earlier he had begun twice-daily ingestion of Kinkoba tablet from his health food store. Each tablet contained 40 milligrams of concentrated extract of the Gingko Biloba tree. "The patient also took blood-thinning aspirin daily, as a consequence of previous heart surgery.
Once the man stopped taking the Gingko extract, his ocular hemorrage and blurred vision cleared up immediately, the researchers say.
The extract is commonly marketed in health-food stores as an aid to mental alertness and blood circulation. However, it contains a compound called ginkgolide B, the researchers explain, a potent anticlotting agent which can encourage bleeding.
The Mount Sinai researchers point out that previous incidences of Gingko Biloba-induced hemorrhage were reported to medical journals in 1987 and 1996. They add that the use of the extract in conjunction with aspirin (another blood thinner) may be a hazardous combination.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine. (1997;336(15):1108)
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