HEALTH TIP: Ginkgo May Be A Painkiller In a recent animal study investigating pain control, an extract of ginkgo biloba extract was effective in relieving a common type of pain that is usually tough to treat. Investigators in South Korea tested the extract in rats against neuropathic pain, the severe discomfort that can occur in humans with shingles (herpes zoster), limb injury and diabetes. Affected patients can experience extreme pain in response to touch or when exposed to heat or cold. The research team gave their rats different doses of a standardized ginkgo extract, and a control group received an inactive solution. Then they tested neuropathic pain responses to cold and pressure and found significant reductions in responses from rats that were given the ginkgo extract compared to those that had been dosed with a placebo. The higher the ginkgo extract dose, the greater the apparent pain relief. The investigators also reported that the pain relief lasted for at least two hours after the ginkgo extract was administered. The investigators didn’t address how ginkgo might work to relieve pain. The study was published in the June 2009 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.#dherbs
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 17:26:09 +0000