The Herb Cabinet 本草

白果 bái guǒ

Ginkgo biloba · ginkgo nut / ginkgo leaf

Neutral Sweet · Bitter · Astringent LungKidney

“The oldest tree on Earth keeps two medicines — my tradition used the nut for wheezing; yours brews the leaf for memory. Both deserve their fine print.” — Lao Xinglin

What the tradition says

The ginkgo predates the dinosaurs' extinction; a specimen outside an old temple may predate the temple. Classical medicine used the nut — bai guo, the "white fruit" — not the leaf: an astringent for the lungs (chronic wheeze and cough) and for things leaking below — vaginal discharge, dribbling urine^[1]. Roasted, in small numbers, because the tradition knew perfectly well the seed was mildly toxic and said so in its own dosage warnings^[1].

What the research says

The modern celebrity is the leaf extract, a European invention the tradition never brewed. Its flagship claim fell to good science: the large GEM trial found ginkgo extract did not prevent dementia versus placebo, and evidence for sharpening healthy memories remains inconclusive and low-quality^[2]. Circulation-related uses have similarly mixed support. Few herbs have been tested this thoroughly and delivered this little.

Where to be careful

• The seeds are genuinely toxic eaten fresh, and even roasted seeds

have caused serious poisoning in quantity — the tradition's small roasted doses were the safety margin^[1][2]. Keep them from children.

• Leaf extract + blood thinners raises bleeding risk^[2].
• Otherwise, moderate doses of standardized leaf extract are well

tolerated (dizziness and headache lead the complaint list)^[2].

In the pharmacy

Two products, one tree: shelled ginkgo nuts — pale, waxy, faintly sweet, roasted into congee and stuffing across East Asia — and Western standardized leaf extracts in bottles. This page mostly exists so the two stop being confused for each other.

Reviewed 2026-08-25