Abstract
A placebo-controlled study was conducted to examine the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (ExGb) on blood pressure in 16 elderly volunteers with hypertension. The subjects were assigned to two groups. One group ingested 50mL of a drink containing 40mg ExGb daily for 12 weeks, and the other group ingested the same volume of artificial drink as a placebo for 12 weeks. In the ExGb group, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and calculated mean blood pressure decreased significantly. No significant changes in blood pressure were observed in the placebo group. Blood uric acid concentration in the ExGb group had decreased significantly by the end of the study, but no significant change in uric acid was observed in the placebo group. No marked changes were observed in other indexes, including pulse rate, body weight, and serum variables in both groups. However, an increase of GOT and GPT were observed in one volunteer who had taken the ExGb-containing drink.
