Ginkgo biloba extract is derived from the Ginkgo biloba tree leaf. Thriving on Earth for more than 200 million years, the Ginkgo tree is the world’s oldest living plant. Considered sacred in the Orient, Ginkgo was the only surviving tree near the epicenter of the Hiroshima atomic bomb blast. One specimen, planted near a Japanese monastery more than 1,000 years ago, is still alive today.
The Ginkgo biloba leaf is rich in phytonutrients, chiefly flavonglycosides and terpene lactones (ginkgolides.) In the extract, these bioflavonoid-like active ingredients are highly concentrated. Fifty pounds of Ginkgo leaves are used to yield one pound of extract.