Have there been any updates on this product? The last thread’s dealing with Gingko clocked in at about a year ago.
Main question: Does it work? Does it increase bloodflow to the brain, thus enabling one to concentrate better?
Secondary question: Does it work? Just kidding, seriously though, are there any side effects? Drawbacks other than price?
Third question: Do you have to “load” it for a period of time prior to it working?
(Prior Links)
The Mayo Clinic cite provided by barbitu8 indicates, among other things, that the strength of commercial products varies. That’s an understatement. I recall hearing a news story recently that, because herbal supplements are loosely regulated (if at all), there’s really no telling what you’re getting when you buy them. They may have the concentration of the herb promised by the label, they may have more, they may have less, or they may even have none at all!
So, even if g-b were a great supplement (and the Mayo information indicates that it won’t do much of anything for you), you’d be hard-pressed to make sure you were getting anything even close to the “right” amount.
Bummer.
So it sounds like it won’t help me concentrate unless I have a preexisting memory disorder…
The Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994 [DSHEA] requires that the FDA prove that a substance is dangerous before it can be ordered off the shelves. The DSHEA allows a supplement to claim that it may affect a body structure or function, although not that it can treat, cure or prevent a disease. (However, many supplements do just that.) New substances and new studies are expanding geometrically. Since they are not regulated, the following possibilities exist:
(1) The product may not consist of what the label advertises.
(2) Other substances may have been added.
(3) It may not be safe, although not so proven.
(4) It may not work as advertised.
(5) And there may not be any studies to support its safe use.And in case anyone’s wondering, we have Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah to thank for the DSHEA and its wonderful effects. Guess which state is the home to some of the largest producers of dietary supplements? [Only one guess per contestant!]