A team of researchers from Nanjing University Medical School in China have shown that treating stroke patients with a combination of ginkgo biloba and aspirin may help brain recovery.
The Chinese researchers undertook a randomised controlled trial to investigate whether ginkgo biloba extract could be a safe and effective treatment for people recovering from ischaemic stroke (a stroke caused by a blood clot or another cause of lack of blood supply to the brain).
The study, published in the online journal Stroke & Vascular Neurology, involved 350 patients from five hospitals in China. Participants had to be adults who had experienced an acute ischaemic stroke in the previous seven days (average age 65 years, 68% women). Participants were randomised to six months treatment with:
• 3 daily doses of 150mg ginkgo ketone ester dispersible tablets alongside a daily dose of 100mg aspirin
• 100mg of aspirin alone
All the participants took a neuropsychological test (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) at the start of the trial, and then 12, 30, 90 and 180 days later, to check for any cognitive impairment.
The study demonstrated that stroke patients who received the ginkgo extract displayed better memory function, executive functions, neurological function and daily life. Additionally, the safety data analysis showed that ginkgo did not increase the incidence of adverse events.
The researchers have acknowledged some limitations to their study and say larger, more robust trials are needed.