Ginkgo Biloba and Ibuprofen: what the research says

Read this first

An evidence index, not guidance.

Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.

This page lists published research relevant to Ginkgo Biloba and Ibuprofen. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.

A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.

The research

3 studies naming Ginkgo Biloba and Ibuprofen.

Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.

Fatal intracerebral mass bleeding associated with Ginkgo biloba and ibuprofen.

Atherosclerosis · 2003 · PMID 12818420

Case ReportsLetterHuman subjects

Names both Ginkgo Biloba and Ibuprofen in its title.

Summative interaction between astaxanthin, Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) and vitamin C in suppression of respiratory inflammation: a comparison with ibuprofen.

Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2011 · PMID 20632299

Animal study

“In conclusion, EGb761, ASX and vitamin C are shown here to interact summatively to suppress inflammation with efficacy equal to or better than ibuprofen, a widely used non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID). Such combinations of non-toxic phytochemicals constitute powerful tools for the prevention of onset of acute and chronic inflammatory disease if consumed regularly by healthy individuals; and may also augment the effectiveness of therapy for those with established…”
Haines et al. · From the abstract

Names both Ginkgo Biloba and Ibuprofen in its title.

Interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs: an updated systematic review.

Drugs · 2009 · PMID 19719333

Systematic ReviewHuman subjects

Names Ginkgo Biloba and Ibuprofen together in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context.

Limitations

What this evidence cannot tell you.

Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:

Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.

Nearby evidence

Other pairs with published research.

Pages covering Ginkgo Biloba or Ibuprofen alongside a different substance.

NutriStack

Track what you actually take.

NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Ginkgo Biloba, Ibuprofen, and several hundred other substances.

The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.

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