Ginkgo biloba is a Chinese and Japanese tree herb used to treat a wide variety of ailments for thousands of years. Recently, ginkgo biloba has been purported to enhance brain function, including cognition and memory, due to its effects on your central and peripheral nervous systems. This herb may have implications in the treatment of neurological degenerative disorders that cause nerve damage and pain, including Huntington's's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and fibromyalgia. Consult your physician before using ginkgo biloba for the treatment of nerve pain and disease.
Huntington's Disease
Huntington's disease, or HD, is a genetic condition involving the degeneration and breakdown of nerve cells in your brain. The destruction of nerve cells can have a wide range of effects on your body, depending on which nerves are affected, including memory loss, psychosis, restlessness, uncontrolled muscle movements and peripheral nerve pain. Ginkgo biloba may provide a protective effect to your brain's neurons, reducing the amount of brain and nerve cell destruction, which may improve symptoms of HD, including nerve pain.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a autoimmune disease that affects your central nervous system by destroying the protective covering that surrounds your nerve cells, slowing down or stopping nerve impulses. This nerve damage is caused by inflammation that results when your immune system attacks your central nervous system. Ginkgo biloba may help protect against this autoimmune response by acting as an antioxidant, removing free radicals and reducing inflammation. Ginkgo biloba may also help maintain the health and maintenance of the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects your nerve cells.
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a severe form of dementia that leads to a loss in brain cells and function, which may result in secondary effects ranging from memory loss to transient nerve pain and numbness. Ginkgo biloba may increase blood and oxygen flow to your brain, helping reduce the severity of symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease. The herb may also prevent your brain from producing a protein called beta-amyloid, which causes the formation of plaques that may increase the rate of neurological damage in Alzheimer's disease.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome in which you experience chronic, total-body pain in your muscles, joints and other soft tissues. These symptoms are commonly associated with an abnormal pain response stemming from neurological misfires in your brain. Ginkgo biloba acts as a natural blood thinner, which may improve blood flow to certain areas of your body that are chronically inflamed, including your muscles, joints and other soft tissues. As a result, ginkgo biloba may help reduce the nerve pain and other effects associated with fibromyalgia.
References
- "The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements, and Herbs"; Nicola Reavley; 1999
- PubMed Health; Huntington's Disease; June 24, 2009
- PubMed Health; Multiple Sclerosis; August 5, 2010
- PubMed Health; Fibromyalgia; February 7, 2010
