The Circulatory System

Ginkgo Biloba

The circulatory system is essential for delivering oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells throughout the body while removing waste products like carbon dioxide. It plays a crucial role in maintaining body temperature, pH balance, and overall cellular health. The heart, blood vessels, and blood work together to ensure the body’s tissues receive what they need to function properly. When the circulatory system doesn’t function properly, it can lead to a range of symptoms, including: Fatigue or shortness of breath, swelling in the legs or ankles (edema) and numbness or coldness in the extremities

What Ginkgo Biloba can do for you?

Ginkgo improves blood flow to the brain, helping with focus, memory and mental clarity.

  • Improves cognitive function
  • Improved cerebral and general blood flow
  • Long term protection of brain function

The Science

Ginkgo Biloba is one of the oldest living tree species and is highly regarded for its neuroprotective properties. Its unique flavonoids and terpene lactones enhance cerebral blood flow, improve mitochondrial function, and reduce oxidative stress in neural tissue. Clinically, Ginkgo has been studied for improving memory, cognitive performance, and circulation — particularly in older adults and those with age-related cognitive decline. It may also help reduce symptoms of anxiety and support sensory health, including tinnitus and visual function. Ginkgo’s vascular and antioxidant activity make it a powerful ally for long-term brain and circulatory health.

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The Studies

"At The Naked Pharmacy, we ensure that all of our supplements are made with effective strength bioactives, so they are clinically proven to work.

We aim for each supplement to be scientifically supported by multiple randomised placebo-controlled studies. All clinical trial studies we use to support our supplements are undertaken on human patients, using the same dosage and formulation of the product. The scientific studies are published in peer review journals."

The scientific studies to support our claims are published in the following peer review journals:

Study: Triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Ginkgo biloba extract on sexual desire in postmenopausal women

What the study looked at:

Researchers wanted to find out if Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) could help boost sexual desire in postmenopausal women, a time when many experience a drop in libido.

How the study worked:

  • 80 healthy women took part in this triple-blind (very rigorous) study.
  • Half took 120–240 mg/day of Ginkgo biloba extract, and the other half took a placebo, for 30 days.
  • Sexual desire was measured using a standard questionnaire (SSRS) before and after the month of treatment.

What they found:

Women who took Ginkgo biloba had a significant increase in sexual desire compared to those who took the placebo.

The difference between the two groups was statistically meaningful (P = 0.02), suggesting the improvement wasn’t due to chance.

What it means:

This study suggests that Ginkgo biloba extract may help restore sexual desire in menopausal women, offering a natural support option for changes in libido during this life stage.

 

Study: A systematic review of clinical trials on Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) effectiveness on sexual function and its safety

What the study looked at:

Researchers reviewed the existing scientific evidence to see if Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is effective and safe for treating sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

How they did it:

  • They searched multiple medical databases for studies up to March 2020.
  • Out of 156 studies, only 5 high-quality randomised controlled trials (with 475 participants) met the strict criteria for inclusion.
  • These trials focused on people with sexual dysfunction, both postmenopausal women and individuals taking antidepressants.

What they found:

  • Ginkgo biloba may improve sexual function in postmenopausal women.
  • However, no benefit was seen in people experiencing sexual dysfunction due to antidepressant use.
  • Some participants reported mild side effects such as headaches and digestive upset.

What it means:

This review suggests that Ginkgo biloba might help some women—especially postmenopausal women—with sexual function. However, its benefits are limited, and more research is needed to fully understand who it helps and how well it works.

 

Study: The impact of Ginkgo biloba tablet and aromatherapy inhaler combination on sexual function in females during postmenopausal period: a double-blind randomised controlled trial.

What was the study about?

This research looked at whether Ginkgo biloba tablets and/or an aromatherapy blend (lavender, fennel, geranium, and rose oils) could help improve sexual function in postmenopausal women.

How the study worked:

  • 180 postmenopausal women (aged 45–55) took part.
  • They were split into 3 groups:
  • Ginkgo biloba tablet + placebo aroma
  • Aromatherapy oil blend + placebo tablet
  • Placebo for both
  • The treatments were used 3 times daily for 6 weeks.
  • Women filled out a validated questionnaire (FSFI) measuring aspects of their sexual function.

What did it find?

  • Both the Ginkgo and aromatherapy groups showed clear improvement in overall sexual function compared to placebo.
  • This included better scores for desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction.
  • The only area where there wasn’t a big change was pain during sex.
  • The placebo group showed much smaller improvement.

What does it mean?

  • Taking Ginkgo biloba or using a calming aromatherapy oil blend may help improve sexual wellbeing in postmenopausal women.
  • This could offer a natural support option for those experiencing changes in sexual health during menopause.

Glossary of terms:

There are a few key terms to be aware of when reviewing these studies:

Randomised Clinical Trial

A clinical trial in which the participants are assigned randomly (by chance alone) to different treatments.

Double-blind study

A study in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment. This procedure is utilised to prevent bias in research results.

Double-blind studies are particularly useful for preventing bias due to demand characteristics or the placebo effect.

P-value

The probability of obtaining the observed results of a test. The lower the p-value is, the more confident we can be of a true result. For example, a p- value of 0.001 confirms a result as 99.9% accurate.

Placebo

An inactive treatment used in a clinical trial, sometimes referred to as a “sugar pill”.

A placebo-controlled trial compares a new treatment with a placebo, in order to give greater confidence that the result is only due to the test/active ingredient.