Herb ·Moderate evidence ·Reviewed May 2026
One of the oldest living tree species, used for cognitive function and circulation.
The bottom line
Evidence rating moderate. Most-documented uses: cognitive function, circulation, eye health. 22 sources indexed (1997–2025), with 35 interaction records on file.
Core mechanism
Flavonoids and terpenoids (ginkgolides, bilobalide) improve microcirculation, inhibit platelet-activating factor (PAF), and provide antioxidant neuroprotection.19
Ranked by evidence and value.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Standardized Ginkgo Extract.
Assumes 120-240 mg/day from goal dosage. Vendor basis: NOW/iHerb, Vitacost, Life Extension, and Amazon marketplace; EGb-style standardized extracts price higher. Updated 2026-05-28.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Ginkgo leaf extract is medicinal and standardized; ginkgo leaves are not common foods, and ginkgo seeds have safety concerns.
Dose: 120-240 mg daily
Timing: Split once or twice daily with meals
Avoid combining casually with anticoagulants or before surgery.
Dose: 120-240 mg daily8
Timing: Morning and/or lunch
A standardized extract is more important than a large raw-mg claim.
Dose: 120-240 mg daily
Timing: Split doses
Evidence is mixed, so expectations should stay modest.
What to test, the optimal window inside the conventional range, and how long a response takes.
Ginkgo (120 to 240 mg per day of 24/6 standardized EGb 761 extract) shows small effects on cognition in mild cognitive impairment; results in healthy adults are mixed.1,5
Ginkgo has antiplatelet activity and can raise INR with warfarin; counsel on bleeding risk and stop 1 to 2 weeks before surgery.
Where this appears in the symptom-to-supplement map, ranked by relevance.
Ginkgo may improve peripheral and cerebral blood flow through vasodilatory and antiplatelet actions, with modest evidence in claudication.1,2
Has antiplatelet effects, so use caution with anticoagulants and before surgery.
Ginkgo may improve microcirculation and vestibular compensation, with some trials suggesting benefit comparable to betahistine for vertigo.1,2
Use a standardized extract; use caution with anticoagulants and antiplatelets due to bleeding risk.
Ginkgo may improve microcirculation and reduce platelet aggregation, which has shown modest reductions in Raynaud attack frequency in some trials.1,2
Generally less effective than calcium channel blockers; avoid combining with anticoagulants due to bleeding risk.
Ginkgo may improve ocular blood flow and has small studies suggesting visual-field stabilization in normal-tension glaucoma, though it does not lower intraocular pressure.2
Never a replacement for pressure-lowering eye drops; antiplatelet effects mean it should be cleared with your ophthalmologist and avoided before surgery.
Ginkgo supports circulation and may help some memory complaints, though results are mixed.8,1
Avoid if bleeding risk is high.
Ginkgo may improve cerebral and inner-ear microcirculation, with limited evidence for reducing vertigo and dizziness that can affect balance.1,2
Has antiplatelet activity, so use caution with anticoagulants and stop before surgery.
Ginkgo is commonly used for tinnitus because of vascular and antioxidant hypotheses, though results are inconsistent.1,2
Keep expectations modest.
Ginkgo improves peripheral microcirculation; modest evidence for Raynaud's syndrome.1,2
Avoid before surgery or with anticoagulants.
Ginkgo's antioxidant and immunomodulatory actions have shown arrest of spread and some repigmentation in small randomized trials of slowly progressing vitiligo.1,2
Best evidence is for limited, slowly spreading vitiligo; can thin blood, so flag it before surgery or if on anticoagulants.
Ginkgo may improve microcirculation and has been studied for vestibular compensation, with some trials suggesting reduced dizziness symptom burden.5,1
Has antiplatelet effects: avoid with anticoagulants or before surgery and clear with your doctor; benefit data are stronger for general vertigo than for confirmed Meniere disease.
Ginkgo may modestly improve blood flow and red cell flexibility, with older trials suggesting small gains in walking distance.
Effect size is small and uncertain; avoid combining with blood thinners unless your clinician approves.
Evidence-based stacks that include it, with the exact dose and timing each one uses.
Ginkgo Biloba supports peripheral circulation and has been studied for antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction. Controlled results are conflicting, so any libido benefit is uncertain and considered emerging.20,1
Ginkgo has mixed clinical evidence for tinnitus and should be framed as an optional trial, not a proven treatment. Avoid or review carefully with bleeding risk, surgery, or anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy.2,3
A pharmacogenetic herb-drug interaction study evaluated Ginkgo biloba with omeprazole through CYP2C19-dependent metabolism (PMID 15608563).
Recommendation: Review Ginkgo with a clinician or pharmacist when CYP2C19-sensitive drugs are present, especially before procedures or with anticoagulants.
Both have mild antiplatelet activity; combined chronic use can additively increase bleeding tendency, especially with concurrent NSAIDs or anticoagulants.
Recommendation: Use together cautiously. Stop both 7 to 14 days before scheduled surgery. Monitor for easy bruising, nosebleeds, or prolonged bleeding from cuts.
Both have antiplatelet activity at higher doses; combined use raises bleeding risk in surgical and anticoagulated patients.
Recommendation: Avoid high-dose vitamin E (above 400 IU) alongside ginkgo, particularly before surgery or with warfarin or DOACs.
Both are common in geriatric and cardiovascular use; combined antiplatelet effects are additive.
Recommendation: Use together only with surgical and bleeding-risk awareness. Discontinue both 1 to 2 weeks before scheduled procedures.
Both have mild antiplatelet activity; clinical bleeding events from this combination alone are rare but theoretical.
Recommendation: Routine use is generally acceptable. Stop both before scheduled surgery and counsel anticoagulated patients.
Ginkgo's antiplatelet activity can mildly counter vitamin K1's pro-coagulant role; relevant for warfarin patients managing INR through K1 intake.
Recommendation: For warfarin patients, keep both vitamin K1 intake and ginkgo dose stable. Monitor INR closely if either changes.
Combining ginkgo with nattokinase increases bleeding risk because both reduce the blood's tendency to clot through different mechanisms.
Recommendation: Use the combination cautiously and avoid it if you take anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs. Stop both at least 1 to 2 weeks before any surgery and report easy bruising or bleeding.
Bromelain has mild antiplatelet and fibrinolytic activity that can add to ginkgo's platelet-inhibiting effect, modestly increasing bleeding risk.
Recommendation: Generally safe at normal doses, but use caution if combining with blood thinners or before surgery. Discontinue both ahead of dental or surgical procedures.
Ginkgo and bacopa support cognition through complementary routes, and combining them may produce additive memory and processing-speed benefits.
Recommendation: Reasonable to stack for cognitive support. Bacopa benefits accrue over several weeks of daily use, so allow time before judging the effect.
The pair combines Maca's effect on sexual desire with Ginkgo's influence on peripheral blood flow and nitric oxide, offering complementary support for sexual function.
Recommendation: May be combined for libido and circulation support. Note that Ginkgo has antiplatelet activity, so use caution with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication. Ginkgo evidence for sexual dysfunction is mixed.
Ginkgo inhibits platelet-activating factor and serrapeptase is fibrinolytic, so combining them can additively impair hemostasis and increase the risk of bruising and bleeding.
Recommendation: Combine cautiously and monitor for bleeding signs. Avoid the combination with anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs unless supervised, and stop both at least 7 to 10 days before surgery.
Used together, grape seed extract and ginkgo may additively reduce platelet aggregation and impair clotting. For healthy people at usual supplement doses this is generally well tolerated, but the additive effect raises bleeding risk in higher-risk settings: around surgery or dental procedures, in those with bleeding disorders, or in anyone also taking aspirin, NSAIDs, or prescription blood thinners. Ginkgo in particular has scattered case reports of spontaneous bleeding.
Recommendation: If you take both, watch for easy bruising, nosebleeds, or prolonged bleeding from cuts. Stop both supplements at least 1 to 2 weeks before any scheduled surgery or dental extraction and tell your surgeon. Do not combine this pair with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications (warfarin, apixaban, clopidogrel, aspirin) without clinician oversight. Separating the doses does not reduce this risk because the effect is systemic, not absorption-based.
Holy basil and ginkgo biloba both reduce platelet aggregation, so taking them together can additively impair clotting and theoretically raise bleeding risk, particularly around surgery, dental procedures, or in anyone already taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant agents.
Recommendation: For healthy adults not on blood thinners this combination is usually tolerated, but treat it with bleeding awareness. Avoid combining if you take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication without clinician oversight, and stop both supplements at least 1 to 2 weeks before any scheduled surgery or invasive dental work. Report unusual bruising, nosebleeds, or prolonged bleeding from minor cuts. Typical ginkgo doses are 120 to 240 mg/day standardized extract; keep holy basil to label dosing and do not stack additional antiplatelet supplements on top.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 significantly improved cognitive performance and daily functioning in patients with mild dementia, with a favorable safety profile across pooled RCT subgroups.
Prinz J, Prokosch V, Wang X et al.. Efficacy of Ginkgo biloba on parameters in glaucoma: A systematic review. PloS one. 2025
Liu Y, Niu P, Yan J et al.. Efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract in the treatment of unstable angina pectoris: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2024
Ginkgo biloba leaf extract supplementation significantly reduced circulating inflammatory markers including CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha across clinical trials.
Ginkgo biloba preparation showed reliable efficacy on cognitive function and global clinical assessment in Alzheimer's treatment with a favorable safety profile.
Ginkgo biloba supplementation significantly improved fasting blood glucose and lipid parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to placebo in pooled analysis.
Ginkgo biloba is potentially beneficial for improving cognitive function, ADLs, and global clinical assessment in MCI and Alzheimer's patients; adverse events similar to placebo.
In cognitively healthy individuals, effect sizes were non-significant and close to zero for memory, executive function, and attention.
Meta-analysis of hemostasis outcomes did not indicate a higher bleeding risk with standardized Ginkgo biloba extract at recommended doses of 120-240 mg/day.
Singh V, Singh SP, Chan K. Review and meta-analysis of usage of ginkgo as an adjunct therapy in chronic schizophrenia. The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology. 2010
Chen L, Liu X, Zheng J et al.. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Cistanche tubulosa and Ginkgo biloba extracts for the improvement of cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly people. Phytotherapy research : PTR. 2024
Chowdhury D, Roy AK, Reddy VR et al.. Multicenter, Open-Label, Prospective Study Shows Safety and Therapeutic Benefits of a Defined Ginkgo Biloba Extract for Adults with Major Neurocognitive Disorder. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. 2024
Review discusses ginkgotoxin in Ginkgo biloba products and seizure risk, supporting caution in seizure-prone users.
Controlled studies consistently indicate that Ginkgo does not significantly impact hemostasis nor adversely affect the safety of coadministered aspirin or warfarin.
Review notes insufficient pregnancy and lactation safety evidence and concern for increased bleeding time.
Ginkgolides inhibit PAF-mediated platelet aggregation, but concentrations required are >100x higher than peak plasma values at recommended oral doses (120-240 mg).
Case report describes seizure precipitation associated with Ginkgo biloba use.
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