Ginkgo Aids Behavioural & Psychological Symptoms of Dementia
The herb Ginkgo biloba is the best treatment for improving memory and cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. And recent research has suggested that ginkgo can help with more than the cognitive aspects of dementia: it can help with the behavioural and psychological aspects as well. . . .
For example, a double-blind study of 410 people with dementia found clinically significant improvement in memory, attention and cognitive function on ginkgo, while those on a placebo continued to decline. But, interestingly, the ones using ginkgo also improved significantly on a test of neuropsychiatric disturbances, while those on a placebo did not improve at all (Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2011). In a subsequent analysis of the neuropsychiatric subscales, there was significant improvement of symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, apathy, agitation, anxiety, irritability and depression on ginkgo, but no improvement with the placebo (Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2011).
Since over 80% of people who struggle with dementia experience behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) as well, researchers decided to see what the collected research says about ginkgo and BPSD.
They conducted a systematic review of four studies that included 1,598 people with dementia and BPSD. All the studies were double-blind and placebo-controlled, and they all used 240mg of Ginkgo biloba extract.
When the four studies were pooled, the results showed that ginkgo was significantly superior to placebo for all of cognition, activities of daily living, clinical global assessment and quality of life. Importantly, the pooled results also showed that BPSD scores improved significantly more on ginkgo than on placebo on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. The same inventory also found that BPSD-related caregiver distress improved significantly more in the caregivers of the ginkgo group.
This unique and important study shows that Ginkgo biloba is effective for people struggling with dementia who are also suffering from the accompanying behavioural and psychological symptoms.
For more on treating Alzheimer’s and dementia naturally, see our Family Naturopathic Encyclopedia.
World J Biol Psychiatry 2015;doi:10.3109/15622975.2015.1066513