Hello loving your videos they are very informative. I would like to know how to get the most out of the ginkgo biloba. I am doing a tincture right now, however upon reading more about it, the book that I currently have called medical herbalism is recommending that I do a standardized extract of 50:1 of dry plant material to a type of alcohol (I’m new to herbalism so i was a little confused on how to do that). I can’t find anything about a tincture, but does that work as well?
@@CocoNaty a tincture is just using alcohol to infuse herbs, then straining out the bits, so that you can preserve the herbs and to make them easy to use and dose. The alcohol itself actually makes the medicine absorb a bit quicker/easier too. I personally prefer to use fresh herbs to make tinctures, as I hold the questionable belief that something is often lost in the drying process. Dried culinary herbs rarely have the same taste and potency of fresh culinary herbs, for example. This belief isn’t universal amongst herbalists, and I have heard lectures from industry herbalists that say they can get much more concentrated tinctures using powdered herbs that can be processed in a multi-pass pressure assisted manner that just wouldn’t work well with fresh chunks. I teach the traditional home wildcrafting method here on TH-cam. It’s not really very precise or maximized, but it does make useful medicine very affordable if you can locate a tree nearby…
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 Yes! OK that definitely answers my question. I am making a tincture out of it and I’m thinking I will let it sit for nine weeks or so I presume the length of time depends on what your tincturing if it’s very resonance or water soluble. But I’m excited I have so many pictures going right now. My next tincture will be wild lettuce either going to it or make a cooked down.(not boiled) Tar like medicine out of it for pain
I prefer tincturing the freshest herbs possible. I just feel something disappears in the drying process, and tinctures are wet anyway. Theoretically it’s 1:5 by weight, but I just use the traditional method of filling the jar until it’s full, but not firm, still has enough give to allow the alcohol to mix in uniformly.
@@bumpyb early fall yes! Just chop the leaves up, adding enough vodka to moisten the leaf matter fully. Home tincture is not really an exact recipe. Not too thin, not so little that it spoils!
Hi, I didn’t think and used my vitamix since it looked the same the leaves are pulverized. Is that fine or should I use my food processor to simply chop the leaves next time? Will that be ok? ,I love your videos Thank you
@@MarisaBlumenfeld a Vitamix works great! I have always wanted one. The way you chop isn’t absolutely important. Some purists never use a chopper, or even a knife, believing it taints the “energy” preferring to gently tear while meditating their intentions into the universe. Others say the finer the grind, the more components that can be extracted. For home medicine wildcrafting, just go with what feels right for you and that will probably be plenty good!
I use 80 proof vodka. When extracting with oil, either dry the herb completely, or refrigerate it while extracting, because most moist herbs will tend to rot in oil at room temperature. Even when refrigerated, you probably should squeeze out the plant by a couple weeks out, because they can still rot in the fridge. Alcohol extraction prevents rot, has a very long shelf life comparatively. It’s also better at extracting the medicinal compounds. Oil can be fine, just understand the limitations. Dried herb for tea is also good, but will really start to lose potency after a year.
Thanks for this. I just published an article on substack that explores the potential of incorporating Ginkgo into a food forest design (i`ll share the link in another comment).
Hello DR Curry. I just found you on the TH-cam page.I'm about twenty minutes out of milwaukee oregon. I have a little ginko biloba tree that I planted last year. 😊
PS: How many leaves are the correct therapeutic dosage for tea using leaves the size you harvested? Thank you ever so much for the encouraging research abstracts! You made my day with all the excellent information. I trust the results more than those promoted by drug companies since they weren't likely funded by big pharma.
Dosages tend to be individual depending on if you’re adding this into a formula or alone, how often you dose, how strongly you respond to herbs, and if you have any other conditions or medications that ginkgo might influence. For an average cup of tea, 2-5 leaves would probably work for most. Consider seeing a naturopath or herbalist to help formulate a good effective blend that addresses your holistic health goals!
Hello, Dr. Mindy Curry, congratulations for your work and for providing us this informations. I would have a few questions, if you can answer me I would be grateful. Is the process of drying ginkgo leaves, in order to obtain the material for tea, a little more complex? Or you can simply dryed the leaves on shade? The powder resulting from the leaves, is just crushed leaf? About how much leaf can be harvested from such a tree? (Kg) Thank you very much and my congratulations once again! Sorry for my english :) PS: I'm 99% that the tree is a ginkgo female :)
Drying ginkgo isn’t complex. I use a cheap window screen from Home Depot propped between a table and a chair back in my guest room with the curtains closed. Don’t stack too many layers high. A week should do it, but feel for dryness before storing in air-tight jars or bags. If you wait until the end of the growing season, you can probably get away with stripping a large percentage of leaves from your tree, as they are all going to fall off overnight soon anyway. Earlier in the season it’s respectful to not harvest too many on each branch as the tree needs these to eat the sunshine. The weight that you can harvest really depends on the size/maturity of your tree. Mine is young-ish, so I don’t get many pounds off it yet.
I prefer them green, but just before they turn yellow. I heard somewhere that this timing means less toxic constituents. Turning yellow means the tree has sucked back all the nutrients in the leaf in preparation for releasing the leaves for winter. I want the full range, not just what’s left in the yellows.
I just made mine two weeks ago with all green leaves. I hope its the right time! Its a quart size Jar. Maybe i should make another one with the yellow mixed in . I dont know.. Thank you so much!@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590
I just gathered some ginkgo leaves that fell from neighborhood trees. What's the easiest way to tincture them? Can I do it fresh or do they need to dry first? Are they still okay once they've fallen? I picked up some fruits on the ground from one tree. Is there anything medicinally good to do with those cute stinky fruit? I'm in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you!
Go ahead and tincture your leaves fresh in vodka or rum. They’re fine after they fall, but preferably next time gather when they are still somewhat green. The plant pulls nutrients back into the trunk in the fall, so the yellows probably have less nutrients, but some say also less potential toxins (minor amounts normally) at that stage. Traditional Chinese Medicine used only the fruit, not the leaves. The stinky part is very gross and should be removed (in water) whilst clipping your nose with a clothespin. The nut inside is considered very medicinal and contains a known toxin. The nuts should be carefully prepared, never eaten raw. Important: limit your ginkgo nut consumption to 5 or less nuts per day. As little as 7 pieces could poison children. See this link below for better information. www.chineseherbshealing.com/proven-herbal-remedies/ginkgo-nuts.html
Hello Dr Curry, we live in Iowa and have an enormous Gingko tree. I am looking for a solution purpose for the leaves, last year I disposed of the leaves.. any answer is helpful.
No. Tinctures are a water+alcohol blend anyway unless you’re using chemistry grade ethanol. There is no need to take the extra time consuming step of drying them out just to float them in an aqueous solution. Indeed many herbalists, including myself, believe something is lost between fresh and dry. Think about a big leaf of fresh parsley. When you chew fresh parsley you taste a myriad of intensely interesting flavors. Take another leaf and dry it. Now taste that. It’s diminished. The flavor rapidly dissipates over a few months to a more grass-clippings flavor. Not the same. There’s definitely debate in the community over this. I attended a lecture by a prominent herb company owner who said their scientists find just as much of the reductionist targeted constituents in dry herb, and that it’s easier to make multi-pass extra concentrated tinctures with the standard uniformity of dried and powdered herbs. I don’t have their fancy industrial machines. I want to taste the fresh leaf plucked from the tree in every half teaspoonful.
Dosing is a very individual thing that you should work out with a naturopathic doctor or at least a trained herbalist. Some people are very sensitive and get results from drop doses, for others the right dose is nearer to a teaspoon(s). It also depends on what you’re treating, what Rx medications you take, and other diseases you may suffer from. Taking too much too often can lead to increased bleeding (too much blood thinning) or easy bruising, so it’s best to start at teaspoons or less per dose until you get an idea of how your body responds to this.
Hi Dr. Curry, I understand that it's better to harvest the leaves in October when they start to turn color, but I'm a little impatient! Can I still harvest them in early summer? Is there a significant reduction in medicinal effects if I picked them earlier for tincture-making? Do you find that in general, harvesting herbs anytime of the year would be *okay* for making tinctures, etc. for their uses? (I'm new to this!)
Sure, you can harvest any time. There is some suggestion that there may be less toxic compounds in the later harvest. There doesn’t appear to be much documented problems at normal doses, so just don’t take too much for too long.
In traditional home tinctures I don’t generally calculate the dose. People are actually very different in their reactions to herbs, especially one like this with very noticeable effects in sensitive persons. So I would suggest starting low to be sure there’s no issue with bruising or easy bleeding. If you’re concerned about getting a specific dose, then you should probably consider going through a vendor with rigorous standards that tests for potency and give you proper directions. Capsules are easy for this, but the commercial product may not be as fresh as desired.
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 Thank you so much for getting back to me greatly appreciated 👍 I have access to ginkgo biloba tree here in the UK although the leaves are still very green I'll probably wait a while an till they turn slightly yellow before picking them. When making the tincture I'll start low and build up the dose gradually and as you say the quality is not as good as the fresh stuff.
Hello Dr Curry, I'm highly allergic to urishol/ poison ivy. While picking them with bare hands, I ate a couple of the fruit. I just learned that the fruit contains a urishol like compound. JFYI, They were sweet and tasted a lot like Persimmons. Most people have had plums, so that's probably the most common similarity people can relate to since the other fruit is not commercial.. Without the leaves, I would possibly mistake them for persimmons and eaten too many. I should have consulted a field guide first. Live and learn. My mouth did feel a little strange, but no blisters. My hands did not break out like ivy, but days later were badly swollen. I am in an inflammatory state of my swollen fingers and digestive system. I plan to start an anti-inflammatory tea tomorrow..At first I thought it was ice cream from.Thanksgiving dinner. Now I think it's Ginkgo fruit in my blood stream. I trust allopathic physicians about as far as I can throw their hospital. 😄 However, I was wondering if you have any suggestions. I am using mega B complex for antihistamine benefits and drinking Ginkgo tea each morning. I'm also staying away from inflammatory foods hoping the liver will take care of detox ASAP with the help of milk thistle.
Yikes! I haven’t heard of that reaction! But allergies are so individual, and anyone can react badly to just about anything! Are you sure that you ate the fruit of a ginkgo? The fruit is extremely unpleasant, smells strongly like vomit. I cannot imagine them tasting like delicious persimmons! There was a row of fruiting female ginkgoes at my undergrad university. Everyone avoided them when they were in season, except for Asian families that would come and gather all the truly putrid fruits off the ground. It’s the nut hidden inside the disgusting fruit that can be eaten, but only in small amounts as it is toxic. It sounds like you should really avoid anything else with urishol! Try ant-inflammatory, anti-allergy herbs and benedry as needed. Things like turmeric, nettles, mullein, rosemary, garlic, N-acetyl cysteine, quercetin, vitamin C, plenty of watery teas to flush everything through. Milk thistle can help your liver more quickly process out circulating toxins. Be more careful around strange fruits! Some aren’t friendly and smell like poop!
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 Thank you VERY MUCH! I have followed much of that protocol, but will need to buy NAC to keep on hand. Speaking of hand, the only swelling today are my two pinkies. The other inflammation inside and out is gone! I'm a happy camper. I was surprised that the fruit of those trees was ripe enough to fall, yet still firm. Perhaps that's why they didn't have the odor. I don't know, but I plan to grow my own so the leaves will be available the rest of my life. They are the most distinctive that I know of, visually, color, taste. They are ginkgo for sure. The fruit I picked still has barely any scent. I've kept them in a bag in the garage. I'll use gloves to harvest the seeds soon. I appreciate your good response doctor Curry. You have a new subscriber/ follower. 🍵🙂👍
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 there are numerous studies that the crude leaf extract contains ginkgolic acids that are quite similar to urushiol found in poison ivy and potentially harmful if handled extensively or ingested (hepatoxic, carcinogen). The processing of ginkgo extracts to achieve standardization to 24% ginkgo flavonol glycosides and 6% terpene lactones removes these toxic ginkgolic acids, rendering them safe for internal use. Also, the researched benefits indicate that only standardized ginkgo extracts provide the desired benefits (circulatory, neuroprotective). There is no evidence of efficacy with crude leaf extracts.
I think they would likely be less potent. The yellow color is because the tree has sucked back it’s precious nutrients into the trunk in preparation for dropping all the leaves for winter. I have also heard that TCM uses yellow leaves sometimes, so there’s still some good stuff in there, and likely less toxins at that stage too.
No. Some people collect them at this time. I’ve heard that there’s less toxic compounds in the yellow fall leaves, but to me there’s probably also less of the medicinal stuff left by then too. The yellowing means that the tree has sucked all it’s best compounds back into the trunk in anticipation of winter dormancy. I think it can still be useful, but probably not as strong as getting it just before the dramatic leaf drop.
we have those trees here in nz they have the small yellow fruit i can see tht thing hanging on your tree looks quite big are these the same trees are there diff varieties recap isee its hanging you put it there lol ok
It’s a more of a feel for the traditional home tinctures. Just not too full that the liquid can’t get around everything fully, but not so empty that you are just making flavored vodka. There’s websites that can give you the technical herb weight to alcohol ratios. I just don’t care about that level of precision, and I don’t sell these commercially. Fill the jar with chopped leaves until it’s mostly packed full, but still can be compressed, then add alcohol. Or if using a blender, stuff the blender full then add enough vodka to get it to chop everything. Let the slop settle in the jar a few minutes, then pour the liquid layer back into the blender for the next batch. Or it’s fine to have some settling too. Shaking it every day or so will help ensure full preservation and extraction even if you really stuff a lot in there.
Alcohol is an effective preservative, so it can last very long…maybe decades… if kept in a cool dry place. You’ll definitely want to change the lid out before the seal rubber disintegrates. The industry standard suggested date is five years. After five years there may be undesirable visible and flavor changes and over time the medicinal effects will weaken somewhat.
@@valeriewalsh6140 sure. Have you tried eating one of those leaves though? They’re not tasty and not tender. Also they have no leaves during the winter.
They aren’t native, but are pretty common in landscaping. There’s a row next to the Moda Center off MLK. I purchased my tree at Karimm nursery near Oregon City.
Ginkgo has been used to increase blood circulation to the body and brain, may help preserve memory function in old age, help the kidneys function, decrease inflammation, help ease anxiety and headaches and PMS. Ginkgo leaves can be made into tincture or dried for teas or powder. It’s preferable to harvest the leaves just before they turn yellow and fall off in the fall.
@@kabeenmhrzn4633 herbs should NOT be dried in the sun as sunlight will break down the medicinal compounds making it less effective. Dry on a screen, thin layer, preferably in a cool dark room with good air circulation.
@@kabeenmhrzn4633 I would store it whole until ready to use, then crush it then. Every step of processing has the potential for increased degradation of medicinal compounds. Dried herbs are most potent when used within about a year, after that and after crushing or powdering, they will lose potency more rapidly. Use taste and smell to determine if your older dried herbs are still strong. Some herbs last much longer than others.
Thank you for sharing 🌱 😊 I just picked some golden leaves today
Hello loving your videos they are very informative. I would like to know how to get the most out of the ginkgo biloba. I am doing a tincture right now, however upon reading more about it, the book that I currently have called medical herbalism is recommending that I do a standardized extract of 50:1 of dry plant material to a type of alcohol (I’m new to herbalism so i was a little confused on how to do that). I can’t find anything about a tincture, but does that work as well?
@@CocoNaty a tincture is just using alcohol to infuse herbs, then straining out the bits, so that you can preserve the herbs and to make them easy to use and dose. The alcohol itself actually makes the medicine absorb a bit quicker/easier too. I personally prefer to use fresh herbs to make tinctures, as I hold the questionable belief that something is often lost in the drying process. Dried culinary herbs rarely have the same taste and potency of fresh culinary herbs, for example. This belief isn’t universal amongst herbalists, and I have heard lectures from industry herbalists that say they can get much more concentrated tinctures using powdered herbs that can be processed in a multi-pass pressure assisted manner that just wouldn’t work well with fresh chunks. I teach the traditional home wildcrafting method here on TH-cam. It’s not really very precise or maximized, but it does make useful medicine very affordable if you can locate a tree nearby…
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590
Yes! OK that definitely answers my question. I am making a tincture out of it and I’m thinking I will let it sit for nine weeks or so I presume the length of time depends on what your tincturing if it’s very resonance or water soluble. But I’m excited I have so many pictures going right now. My next tincture will be wild lettuce either going to it or make a cooked down.(not boiled) Tar like medicine out of it for pain
Hello Dr. Curry. Thank you for the information
I prefer tincturing the freshest herbs possible. I just feel something disappears in the drying process, and tinctures are wet anyway. Theoretically it’s 1:5 by weight, but I just use the traditional method of filling the jar until it’s full, but not firm, still has enough give to allow the alcohol to mix in uniformly.
maybe i missed it but do you have a recipe? when do you pick the leaves? early fall? thanks!
@@bumpyb early fall yes! Just chop the leaves up, adding enough vodka to moisten the leaf matter fully. Home tincture is not really an exact recipe. Not too thin, not so little that it spoils!
Hi, I didn’t think and used my vitamix since it looked the same the leaves are pulverized. Is that fine or should I use my food processor to simply chop the leaves next time?
Will that be ok?
,I love your videos
Thank you
@@MarisaBlumenfeld a Vitamix works great! I have always wanted one. The way you chop isn’t absolutely important. Some purists never use a chopper, or even a knife, believing it taints the “energy” preferring to gently tear while meditating their intentions into the universe. Others say the finer the grind, the more components that can be extracted. For home medicine wildcrafting, just go with what feels right for you and that will probably be plenty good!
Hello 👋 I'm from Serbia and I just found in neighborhood 2 gingko trees,and now is 11 July.. when should I pick the leafs 🍃🍀 ? Thanks
meant to pick them as they are turning yellow at end of season
We need a forest of these across Europe.!
I have a ginkgo tree, and will harvest this fall. Might I ask, what alcohol do you use here. ? I'm going to process mine with grape seed oil.
I use 80 proof vodka.
When extracting with oil, either dry the herb completely, or refrigerate it while extracting, because most moist herbs will tend to rot in oil at room temperature. Even when refrigerated, you probably should squeeze out the plant by a couple weeks out, because they can still rot in the fridge.
Alcohol extraction prevents rot, has a very long shelf life comparatively. It’s also better at extracting the medicinal compounds.
Oil can be fine, just understand the limitations.
Dried herb for tea is also good, but will really start to lose potency after a year.
I'm here looking for info on our male (non fruiting) ginkgo tree. I'm amazed by how beautiful your hair is!!!
Thanks for this. I just published an article on substack that explores the potential of incorporating Ginkgo into a food forest design (i`ll share the link in another comment).
That sounds cool! Please share your link.
Hello DR Curry. I just found you on the TH-cam page.I'm about twenty minutes out of milwaukee oregon. I have a little ginko biloba tree
that I planted last year. 😊
It will grow strong! I wish you many many years of great medicines from this ancient tree!
PS: How many leaves are the correct therapeutic dosage for tea using leaves the size you harvested?
Thank you ever so much for the encouraging research abstracts!
You made my day with all the excellent information.
I trust the results more than those promoted by drug companies since they weren't likely funded by big pharma.
Dosages tend to be individual depending on if you’re adding this into a formula or alone, how often you dose, how strongly you respond to herbs, and if you have any other conditions or medications that ginkgo might influence. For an average cup of tea, 2-5 leaves would probably work for most.
Consider seeing a naturopath or herbalist to help formulate a good effective blend that addresses your holistic health goals!
Hello, Dr. Mindy Curry, congratulations for your work and for providing us this informations.
I would have a few questions, if you can answer me I would be grateful.
Is the process of drying ginkgo leaves, in order to obtain the material for tea, a little more complex?
Or you can simply dryed the leaves on shade?
The powder resulting from the leaves, is just crushed leaf?
About how much leaf can be harvested from such a tree? (Kg)
Thank you very much and my congratulations once again! Sorry for my english :)
PS: I'm 99% that the tree is a ginkgo female :)
Drying ginkgo isn’t complex. I use a cheap window screen from Home Depot propped between a table and a chair back in my guest room with the curtains closed. Don’t stack too many layers high. A week should do it, but feel for dryness before storing in air-tight jars or bags. If you wait until the end of the growing season, you can probably get away with stripping a large percentage of leaves from your tree, as they are all going to fall off overnight soon anyway. Earlier in the season it’s respectful to not harvest too many on each branch as the tree needs these to eat the sunshine. The weight that you can harvest really depends on the size/maturity of your tree. Mine is young-ish, so I don’t get many pounds off it yet.
I have a Ginkgo biloba tree in my garden
when you harvest the leaves? when they are green or when they are yellow? Which is best for making a tincture with? Or to make tea with. Thank you!
I prefer them green, but just before they turn yellow. I heard somewhere that this timing means less toxic constituents. Turning yellow means the tree has sucked back all the nutrients in the leaf in preparation for releasing the leaves for winter. I want the full range, not just what’s left in the yellows.
I just made mine two weeks ago with all green leaves. I hope its the right time! Its a quart size Jar. Maybe i should make another one with the yellow mixed in . I dont know.. Thank you so much!@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590
😃 I could not locate the other video you mentioned, can you help me find it? 🌻
@@lovingnature1151 th-cam.com/video/NvR5Zcr0AaE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HP8QPej9RVyFFFL4
I just gathered some ginkgo leaves that fell from neighborhood trees. What's the easiest way to tincture them? Can I do it fresh or do they need to dry first? Are they still okay once they've fallen? I picked up some fruits on the ground from one tree. Is there anything medicinally good to do with those cute stinky fruit? I'm in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you!
Go ahead and tincture your leaves fresh in vodka or rum. They’re fine after they fall, but preferably next time gather when they are still somewhat green. The plant pulls nutrients back into the trunk in the fall, so the yellows probably have less nutrients, but some say also less potential toxins (minor amounts normally) at that stage.
Traditional Chinese Medicine used only the fruit, not the leaves. The stinky part is very gross and should be removed (in water) whilst clipping your nose with a clothespin.
The nut inside is considered very medicinal and contains a known toxin. The nuts should be carefully prepared, never eaten raw.
Important: limit your ginkgo nut consumption to 5 or less nuts per day.
As little as 7 pieces could poison children.
See this link below for better information.
www.chineseherbshealing.com/proven-herbal-remedies/ginkgo-nuts.html
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 Thank you!
Hello Dr Curry, we live in Iowa and have an enormous Gingko tree. I am looking for a solution purpose for the leaves, last year I disposed of the leaves.. any answer is helpful.
The leaves are used in tincture and teas. The best time to harvest is right before they go yellow and drop.
Hi Dr. Curry, is it best to dry the leaves first?
No. Tinctures are a water+alcohol blend anyway unless you’re using chemistry grade ethanol. There is no need to take the extra time consuming step of drying them out just to float them in an aqueous solution. Indeed many herbalists, including myself, believe something is lost between fresh and dry.
Think about a big leaf of fresh parsley. When you chew fresh parsley you taste a myriad of intensely interesting flavors. Take another leaf and dry it. Now taste that. It’s diminished. The flavor rapidly dissipates over a few months to a more grass-clippings flavor. Not the same.
There’s definitely debate in the community over this. I attended a lecture by a prominent herb company owner who said their scientists find just as much of the reductionist targeted constituents in dry herb, and that it’s easier to make multi-pass extra concentrated tinctures with the standard uniformity of dried and powdered herbs.
I don’t have their fancy industrial machines.
I want to taste the fresh leaf plucked from the tree in every half teaspoonful.
What is the best amount to take at a time. ? As to not dose too much?
Dosing is a very individual thing that you should work out with a naturopathic doctor or at least a trained herbalist. Some people are very sensitive and get results from drop doses, for others the right dose is nearer to a teaspoon(s). It also depends on what you’re treating, what Rx medications you take, and other diseases you may suffer from. Taking too much too often can lead to increased bleeding (too much blood thinning) or easy bruising, so it’s best to start at teaspoons or less per dose until you get an idea of how your body responds to this.
Hello, please to meet you. Can you explain how to make and use extract of gingko biloba seeds extract for skin?
No. I don’t do that.
Hi Dr. Curry, I understand that it's better to harvest the leaves in October when they start to turn color, but I'm a little impatient! Can I still harvest them in early summer? Is there a significant reduction in medicinal effects if I picked them earlier for tincture-making? Do you find that in general, harvesting herbs anytime of the year would be *okay* for making tinctures, etc. for their uses? (I'm new to this!)
Sure, you can harvest any time. There is some suggestion that there may be less toxic compounds in the later harvest. There doesn’t appear to be much documented problems at normal doses, so just don’t take too much for too long.
How would you calculate the dose? taking too little or too much is not ideal but I've heard that 300mg is a good dose.
In traditional home tinctures I don’t generally calculate the dose. People are actually very different in their reactions to herbs, especially one like this with very noticeable effects in sensitive persons. So I would suggest starting low to be sure there’s no issue with bruising or easy bleeding. If you’re concerned about getting a specific dose, then you should probably consider going through a vendor with rigorous standards that tests for potency and give you proper directions. Capsules are easy for this, but the commercial product may not be as fresh as desired.
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 Thank you so much for getting back to me greatly appreciated 👍 I have access to ginkgo biloba tree here in the UK although the leaves are still very green I'll probably wait a while an till they turn slightly yellow before picking them. When making the tincture I'll start low and build up the dose gradually and as you say the quality is not as good as the fresh stuff.
Hello Dr Curry,
I'm highly allergic to urishol/ poison ivy.
While picking them with bare hands, I ate a couple of the fruit. I just learned that the fruit contains a urishol like compound.
JFYI, They were sweet and tasted a lot like Persimmons. Most people have had plums, so that's probably the most common similarity people can relate to since the other fruit is not commercial.. Without the leaves, I would possibly mistake them for persimmons and eaten too many. I should have consulted a field guide first.
Live and learn.
My mouth did feel a little strange, but no blisters. My hands did not break out like ivy, but days later were badly swollen. I am in an inflammatory state of my swollen fingers and digestive system. I plan to start an anti-inflammatory tea tomorrow..At first I thought it was ice cream from.Thanksgiving dinner. Now I think it's Ginkgo fruit in my blood stream. I trust allopathic physicians about as far as I can throw their hospital. 😄
However, I was wondering if you have any suggestions. I am using mega B complex for antihistamine benefits and drinking Ginkgo tea each morning. I'm also staying away from inflammatory foods hoping the liver will take care of detox ASAP with the help of milk thistle.
Yikes! I haven’t heard of that reaction! But allergies are so individual, and anyone can react badly to just about anything!
Are you sure that you ate the fruit of a ginkgo? The fruit is extremely unpleasant, smells strongly like vomit. I cannot imagine them tasting like delicious persimmons! There was a row of fruiting female ginkgoes at my undergrad university. Everyone avoided them when they were in season, except for Asian families that would come and gather all the truly putrid fruits off the ground.
It’s the nut hidden inside the disgusting fruit that can be eaten, but only in small amounts as it is toxic.
It sounds like you should really avoid anything else with urishol!
Try ant-inflammatory, anti-allergy herbs and benedry as needed. Things like turmeric, nettles, mullein, rosemary, garlic, N-acetyl cysteine, quercetin, vitamin C, plenty of watery teas to flush everything through. Milk thistle can help your liver more quickly process out circulating toxins.
Be more careful around strange fruits! Some aren’t friendly and smell like poop!
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590
Thank you VERY MUCH! I have followed much of that protocol, but will need to buy NAC to keep on hand. Speaking of hand, the only swelling today are my two pinkies. The other inflammation inside and out is gone! I'm a happy camper.
I was surprised that the fruit of those trees was ripe enough to fall, yet still firm. Perhaps that's why they didn't have the odor. I don't know, but I plan to grow my own so the leaves will be available the rest of my life. They are the most distinctive that I know of, visually, color, taste. They are ginkgo for sure. The fruit I picked still has barely any scent. I've kept them in a bag in the garage. I'll use gloves to harvest the seeds soon.
I appreciate your good response doctor Curry. You have a new subscriber/ follower.
🍵🙂👍
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 there are numerous studies that the crude leaf extract contains ginkgolic acids that are quite similar to urushiol found in poison ivy and potentially harmful if handled extensively or ingested (hepatoxic, carcinogen). The processing of ginkgo extracts to achieve standardization to 24% ginkgo flavonol glycosides and 6% terpene lactones removes these toxic ginkgolic acids, rendering them safe for internal use. Also, the researched benefits indicate that only standardized ginkgo extracts provide the desired benefits (circulatory, neuroprotective). There is no evidence of efficacy with crude leaf extracts.
I havested gingko leaves from trees when they were yellow (are they less potent)?
I think they would likely be less potent. The yellow color is because the tree has sucked back it’s precious nutrients into the trunk in preparation for dropping all the leaves for winter. I have also heard that TCM uses yellow leaves sometimes, so there’s still some good stuff in there, and likely less toxins at that stage too.
Is it too late to gather name after they're yellow in the fall?
No. Some people collect them at this time. I’ve heard that there’s less toxic compounds in the yellow fall leaves, but to me there’s probably also less of the medicinal stuff left by then too. The yellowing means that the tree has sucked all it’s best compounds back into the trunk in anticipation of winter dormancy. I think it can still be useful, but probably not as strong as getting it just before the dramatic leaf drop.
What was that liquid you mixed with the leaves?
Looked like kamchatka
I was walking through my neighborhood and discovered the ginkgo tree literally today like 5 hours ago
@@1211sdmorgan you’ll see them everywhere now!
we have those trees here in nz they have the small yellow fruit i can see tht thing hanging on your tree looks quite big are these the same trees are there diff varieties recap isee its hanging you put it there lol ok
I think that's just a decoration she hung.
what is the vodka to herb ratio please?
It’s a more of a feel for the traditional home tinctures. Just not too full that the liquid can’t get around everything fully, but not so empty that you are just making flavored vodka. There’s websites that can give you the technical herb weight to alcohol ratios. I just don’t care about that level of precision, and I don’t sell these commercially. Fill the jar with chopped leaves until it’s mostly packed full, but still can be compressed, then add alcohol. Or if using a blender, stuff the blender full then add enough vodka to get it to chop everything. Let the slop settle in the jar a few minutes, then pour the liquid layer back into the blender for the next batch. Or it’s fine to have some settling too. Shaking it every day or so will help ensure full preservation and extraction even if you really stuff a lot in there.
Thanks
How long does it last in that jar before it goes bad?
Alcohol is an effective preservative, so it can last very long…maybe decades… if kept in a cool dry place. You’ll definitely want to change the lid out before the seal rubber disintegrates. The industry standard suggested date is five years. After five years there may be undesirable visible and flavor changes and over time the medicinal effects will weaken somewhat.
What is the liquid added in the jar?
It’s vodka. Alcohol is an excellent solvent and preservative, plus it enhances cell uptake of herbal extracts.
How much do one drink from this every day?
Dose depends on your medical needs and how your body responds to herbs. Consult with an herbalist or ND to figure out your ginkgo needs.
Nice
Can I just eat the leaves without all this work?
@@valeriewalsh6140 sure.
Have you tried eating one of those leaves though? They’re not tasty and not tender. Also they have no leaves during the winter.
Where are these Ginkgo trees Please do they grow everywhere or do we have to plant them?
They aren’t native, but are pretty common in landscaping. There’s a row next to the Moda Center off MLK. I purchased my tree at Karimm nursery near Oregon City.
I wanna see the result when you boil it, i wanna see the color
It’s just a regular light herbal tea color, kinda honey brownish.
GINGKO!
What is the use of this gingko
I have 2 pant in my home
How can me make medicine from this
Ginkgo has been used to increase blood circulation to the body and brain, may help preserve memory function in old age, help the kidneys function, decrease inflammation, help ease anxiety and headaches and PMS.
Ginkgo leaves can be made into tincture or dried for teas or powder.
It’s preferable to harvest the leaves just before they turn yellow and fall off in the fall.
@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590 mam leaves should be just dryed in the sunligt or what
@@kabeenmhrzn4633 herbs should NOT be dried in the sun as sunlight will break down the medicinal compounds making it less effective. Dry on a screen, thin layer, preferably in a cool dark room with good air circulation.
and after drying we should crush it or what@@dr.mindya.curryndpassionfo7590
@@kabeenmhrzn4633 I would store it whole until ready to use, then crush it then.
Every step of processing has the potential for increased degradation of medicinal compounds. Dried herbs are most potent when used within about a year, after that and after crushing or powdering, they will lose potency more rapidly.
Use taste and smell to determine if your older dried herbs are still strong. Some herbs last much longer than others.
how do i get me some ginkgo leaves
Find a gingko tree near you, then wait for spring.
Look to see if there's an arboretum in your city or state
@@majemwe are you selling the tree
@@edansley7130 only if you're buying