The efficacy and function of ginkgo

Ginkgo is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine and is very helpful for many diseases. Let us give a brief introduction to ginkgo below.

【English name】 SEMEN GINKGO

【Other name】 Ginkgo nuts

[Source] This product is the dried mature seeds of Ginkgo biloba L., a plant of the Ginkgoaceae family. The seeds are harvested in autumn when they are ripe, the fleshy outer seed coat is removed, washed, slightly steamed or boiled, and then dried.

[Properties] This product is slightly oval, with one end slightly pointed and the other end blunt, 1.5-2.5cm long, 1-2cm wide, and about 1cm thick. The surface is yellowish white or light brown, smooth, and has 2 to 3 ridges. The mesocarp (shell) is bony and hard. The endotesta is membranous, the kernel is broadly ovoid or elliptical, light brown at one end and golden yellow at the other. The outer layer of the cross section is yellow and gelatinous, while the inner layer is light yellow or light green and powdery, with a gap in the middle. Odorless, sweet and slightly bitter.

[Identification] Take 10g of the powder of this product, add 40ml of methanol, heat and reflux for 1 hour, filter, evaporate the filtrate, add 15ml of water to the residue to dissolve it, filter through a small amount of cotton, pass the filtrate through a polyamide column (80-100 mesh, 3g, inner diameter 10-15mm), elute with 70ml of water, and extract the eluate with ethyl acetate by shaking twice, 40ml each time, combine the ethyl acetate solutions, evaporate to dryness, add 1ml of methanol to the residue to dissolve it, and use it as the test solution. Take Ginkgolide A and C reference substances separately, add methanol to prepare a mixed solution containing 0.5 mg of each substance per 1 ml as the reference substance solution. According to the thin layer chromatography method (Appendix Ⅵ B), 10 μl of each of the above two solutions were taken and spotted on the same silica gel G thin layer plate with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution containing 4% sodium acetate as the adhesive, and toluene-ethyl acetate-acetone-methanol (10:5:5:0.6) as the developing agent. After development, the plate was taken out, dried, sprayed with acetic anhydride, heated at 140-160°C for 30 minutes, and examined under ultraviolet light (365nm). In the test sample chromatogram, a fluorescent spot of the same color appears at the corresponding position in the reference sample chromatogram.

[Preparation] Ginkgo nuts : Take ginkgo nuts, remove impurities and hard shells, and crush them before use.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet, bitter, astringent, neutral; poisonous.

【return through meridian】return to lung meridian.

[Functions and indications] It can nourish the lungs and calm wheezing, stop leukorrhea and reduce bowel movements. It is used for cough with excessive sputum, leucorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination.

【Usage and Dosage】 4.5～9g.

【Note】Toxic if eaten raw.

[Remarks] (1) Overdose may cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, twitching, limb rigidity, cyanosis of the skin, dilated pupils, weak and irregular pulse, and even coma. Rescue methods: gastric lavage, laxatives, egg white, activated carbon, and symptomatic treatment: if the skin is cyanotic, give oxygen or artificial respiration; if convulsions occur, give sedatives; in case of coma, inhale ammonia water and inject stimulants.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Pharmacopoeia

【Source】 Daily Materia Medica

Through the introduction in this article, we can learn some relevant knowledge about ginkgo. Whether from the perspective of food health or traditional Chinese medicine, the role of ginkgo cannot be underestimated.