Ginkgo biloba is a seed plant, the only existing species in the Ginkgo plant (Ginkgophyta) group.
It has been spread around the world for more than 250 million years, but is mainly grown in Korea, Japan and China. It can reach a height of up to 40 m. and can live for more than 1000 years. Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts have been used for hundreds of years to treat various diseases, such as asthma, vertigo, fatigue and tinnitus or circulatory problems. Two of the major extracts are EGb761 and LI1370, and most pharmacological, toxicological and clinical studies are fo-cused on their neuroprotective value. It is of particular interest because it represents a new therapy for diseases such as glaucoma.
The curative use of species attracts the interest of researchers, especially the different parts of the tree, used in folk or traditional medicine to treat various diseases. Their healing effect is due to the many bioactive compounds. Such are triterpenic lactones and flavonoids. They are the goal of many biotechnological strategies that are used to improve production.
Many genetic and ecological factors have contributed to the endangered species, which is why precautions should be taken to preserve it. In many countries crops are grown to provide for the pharmaceutical needs of ginkgo biloba, and extracts are standardized into a number of herbal medicines used in human medicine.
Glaucoma is not seen as an isolated disease, but as a group of neurodegenerative diseases with optic nerve damage (ophtopathy) and characteristic changes in the field of vision.
A.K. Cybulska-Heinrich, M. Mozaffarieh, and J. Flammer, Ginkgo biloba: An adjuvant therapy for progressive normal and high tension glaucoma, 2012
Sofi F, Mannini L, Marcucci R, Bolli P, Sodi A, Giambene B, Menchini U, Gensini GF, Abbate R, Prisco D., Role of haemorheological factors in patients with retinal vein occlusion, 2007
Huang SY, Jeng C, Kao SC, Yu JJ, Liu DZ, Improved haemorrheological properties by Ginkgo biloba extract (Egb 761) in type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with retinopathy, 2004
Rita Khoury, MPH, Jennifer Moren Cross, PhD, RN, Christopher A. Girkin, MD, Cynthia Owsley, PhD, MSPH, and Gerald McGwin, Jr., MS, PhD, The Association between Self-Reported Glaucoma and Ginkgo biloba Use,2010
Sushil K Vasudevan, Viney Gupta and Jonathan G Crowston, Neuroprotection in glaucoma, 2011
Wei Song, Ping Huang, and Chun Zhang , Neuroprotective therapies for glaucoma, 2015
Robert N. Weinreb, MD, Tin Aung, MD, PhD, and Felipe A. Medeiros, MD, PhD, The Pathophysiology and Treatment of Glaucoma,2015
