Ginkgo herbal medicines may increase seizures in people with epilepsy (2/3/2010)
 | | Ginkgo leaves are the source of a popular herbal remedy that new research suggests may increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy. - iStock |
Restrictions should be placed on the use of Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba) - a top-selling herbal remedy - because of growing scientific evidence that Ginkgo may increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy and could reduce the effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs, a new report concludes. The article appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Natural Products. It also suggests that Ginkgo may have harmful effects in other people after eating raw or roasted Ginkgo seed or drinking tea prepared from Ginkgo leaves.
Eckhard Leistner and Christel Drewke note that consumers use pills, teas, and other products prepared from leaves of the Ginkgo tree to treat a wide array of health problems. Those include Alzheimer's disease and other memory loss, clinical depression, headache, irritable bladder, alcohol abuse, blockages in blood vessels, poor concentration, and dizziness. Scientific concern focuses mainly on one chemical compound in the herb. It is a potentially toxic material known as ginkgotoxin.
They reviewed scientific research on Ginkgo, and found 10 reports indicating that patients with epilepsy who take Ginkgo products face an increased risk of seizures. They note that laboratory studies explain how Ginkgo could have that unwanted effect. Ginkgotoxin seems to alter a chemical signaling pathway in ways that may trigger epileptic seizures. Further evidence showed that Ginkgo can interact with anti-seizure medications and reduce their effectiveness. "Contrary to our own previous assumption, we are now convinced, however, that G. biloba medications and other products can have a detrimental effect on a person's health condition," the report concludes. "It is therefore important that the large number of G. biloba product users and their health care providers be made aware of these risks, in order to enable them to make informed decisions about the use of these preparations."
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the American Chemical Society
Post Comments:
| 
Subscribe
Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly
'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Study shows ancient snakes ate dinosaur babies
Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica
Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos
Artificial bee silk a big step closer to reality
Predicting the fate of stem cells
Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking
New fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Fill 'er up - with algae
Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos
Researchers help identify cows that gain more while eating less
Why surprises temporarily blind us
Flexing your marathon muscles at work
Crowded houses: Why our peripheral vision may not be as random as we think
Scientists shed new light on how retina's hardware is used in color vision
How the demons of dementia possess and damage brain cells
Ritalin boosts learning by increasing brain plasticity
Which came first: Religion or the brain?
Two-faced testosterone can make you nasty or nice
Study: People sometimes less trusting when in a good mood
Critical brain chemical shown to play role in severe depression
Study proves conclusively that violent video game play makes more aggressive kids