Ginkgo biloba
The Ginkgo is known as a living fossil, its history going back 270 million years. Ginkgo trees were already fossilized in the Jurassic age. The first specimen brought to North America was a gift to Thomas Jefferson for his gardens at Monticello. Today, it grows around the world as a popular landscaping tree.
The leaves reminded scholar-Officials in ancient China of an open fan, that symbolically spreads good luck. On the practical side, it was valued as a memory enhancer (appreciated by those young scholars when taking the rigorous exams of their day!).
Recent studies indicate it does not delay dementia or Alzheimer's, but some studies show it may enhance general cognitive ability - the jury's still out on this one.
Ginkgo biloba
The Ginkgo is known as a living fossil, its history going back 270 million years. Ginkgo trees were already fossilized in the Jurassic age. The first specimen brought to North America was a gift to Thomas Jefferson for his gardens at Monticello. Today, it grows around the world as a popular landscaping tree.
The leaves reminded scholar-Officials in ancient China of an open fan, that symbolically spreads good luck. On the practical side, it was valued as a memory enhancer (appreciated by those young scholars when taking the rigorous exams of their day!).
Recent studies indicate it does not delay dementia or Alzheimer's, but some studies show it may enhance general cognitive ability - the jury's still out on this one.