Ginkgo Biloba High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a major concern for above 40 people all over the world. Almost 50% of people above 45 years of age suffer from high blood pressure. Coronary heart diseases, high blood pressure and clotting disorders are the major risks for serious cardiac arrests.

There are many advancements in this field, many drugs are being made and delivered to people. But people are looking for herbal remedies these days, as they have fewer side effects. There have been many researches that show the effects of Ginkgo Biloba on the circulatory system.

There is a research paper written by Zhang J, Fu S, Liu S, Mao T, Xiu R, Institute of Microcirculation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing. This paper was aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects Ginkgo Biloba leaves extracts on hypertension High blood pressure) and its possible mechanisms in the view of cerebral microcirculation.

Twenty normotensive rats and 24 SHR rats were used. The arterial blood pressure, red cell velocity (V), micro-vascular diameter (D), number of open capillaries (OCN), circulating endothelial cells (CEC) in blood, relative blood flow (Flow) and frequency (Fc), amplitude (AMP) of vaso-motion were measured. Untreated SHR rats showed very severe dysfunction in the microcirculation with high blood pressure (213 +/- 16.7 mmHg).

The blood pressure decreased significantly to 153 +/- 20 mmHg in EGb-treated SHRs group, compared with those of untreated rats (p < 0.01). Both normotensive (normal blood pressure) and hypertensive (high blood pressure) suffering rats increased the blood flow velocity and LDF flow after EGb-treatment.

It was suggested that EGb 761 had therapeutic effect on SHR rats by increasing blood perfusion, regulating vasomotion function, opening efficiently capillaries and releasing the peripheral resistance. The injured vascular endothelium of SHR rats was also partly reversed by EGb-treatment. It was concluded that Ginkgo Biloba leave extracts can be used to normalize hypertension and to protect the cerebral microcirculatory function.

It’s been widely proved that Ginkgo Biloba has remarkable effects on circulatory system in reducing the blood pressure, so use of Ginkgo Biloba along with prescription antihypertensive medications is a possibility but it should be monitored by a health care provider.

There has been a report of an interaction between Ginkgo Biloba and Nifedipine, a calcium channel blocking drug used for blood pressure and arrhythmias.

But Ginkgo Biloba is not advised in every heart condition. In few heart patients; diuretics like Thiazides are also given and in one report the Ginkgo Biloba possibly raised blood pressure; though there is still research going on over this concerned issue.

But generally Ginkgo Biloba has proved itself to reduce the clotting and increase the circulation in the peripheral areas including fingers, toes and scalp. Hair loss, heart disease, strokes, dementia, Reynaud’s disease, head injuries, leg cramps, macular degeneration, tinnitus, impotence due to poor blood flow, and diabetes-related nerve damage.

But like every drug it also needs supervision of a doctor or health care provider and should be stopped immediately if any side effects are noticed.