Ginkgo
PH
PureHealthness Editorial Team · Health writers & reviewers
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
✔ Transparent sourcing · Some articles are AI-drafted, then reviewed & fact-checked by our team
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
The ginkgo is a living fossil, unchanged for 200 million years. Its fan-shaped leaves turn pure gold in autumn, and its extract is taken worldwide for memory.
🔬 Plant facts
| Scientific name | Ginkgo biloba |
|---|---|
| Type | Deciduous tree |
| Family | Ginkgoaceae |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Water | Tolerant |
| Height | 15–30 m |
| Flower | Fan-shaped leaves; no flowers |
| Uses | Ornamental, memory supplements |
| Growth | Slow-growing, very long-lived |
| Best season | Autumn (golden leaves) |
💊 Ginkgo in the medicine industry
Ginkgo leaf extract is one of the world's best-selling herbal supplements, studied for memory, circulation and cognitive support in older adults; it is also a symbol of resilience, surviving since the dinosaurs.
🌱 Growing & care tips
Ginkgo trees need full sun and any well-drained soil; they are tough, pollution-tolerant city trees that can live for over 1,000 years.
🍽️ How to use it
Ginkgo leaves are dried for tea and standardised extracts; the nuts (from female trees) are a delicacy in East Asia when roasted.
💡 Did you know? Ginkgo trees survived the atomic bomb at Hiroshima — six trees within 2 km of the blast were still alive and sprouting months later.
⚠️ Ginkgo safety note: Ginkgo extract can increase bleeding risk — stop it before surgery and avoid with blood thinners; the raw nuts can be toxic and should only be eaten cooked in small amounts.
⚠️ Important: Herbal and plant remedies can interact with medicines. Always ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any plant product for health purposes — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking prescription drugs.
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