Carusos Ginkgo

These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store about ginkgo. There's no TGA permitted use for this herb, so we can't tell you what it's for. What we can do is help you read the label and answer the question we hear most: how ginkgo sits alongside a prescription.

A good fit if

• You're an adult buying it for yourself, and you've read the label of the product in your hand
• You want a leaf extract, which is what nearly every ginkgo product we stock is
• You want to know what the Australian rules say about ginkgo before you buy it
• You're happy to bring your medicine list to us first rather than starting and hoping for the best

Check with us first if

• You take warfarin or another blood thinner. A 2021 systematic review of warfarin interactions lists ginkgo biloba among the herbs and foods flagged for a higher bleeding risk (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021). We didn't find a TGA advisory either way, so this is a conversation to have with a person, not a page.
• You take any prescription medicine. A systematic review of case reports and clinical trials recorded interactions between the top-selling herbal medicines, ginkgo among them, and prescription drugs (Drugs, 2001).
• You have a bleeding condition, or you have surgery or dental work coming up. The bleeding question above hasn't been settled, so talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. We didn't find an Australian position on ginkgo in pregnancy, and no evidence isn't the same as a green light.
• You're thinking about ginkgo for a child. The rules set no age limit for item 2357 either way, and we haven't found anything to base an answer on.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• You take warfarin or another blood thinner. A systematic review of 149 articles covering 78 herbs, foods and supplements named ginkgo biloba among those flagged for increased bleeding risk in people on warfarin (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021).
• You take any prescription medicine. A systematic review of 41 case reports and series plus 17 clinical trials documented interactions between the seven top-selling herbal medicines, ginkgo included, and prescribed drugs (Drugs, 2001).
• You have a bleeding condition, or surgery or dental work coming up. We found no Australian advice on this, so it's an open question rather than a safe one.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. We found no Australian safety position for ginkgo, so it's unanswered rather than safe.
• Children. The list sets no age limit for item 2357, and we found no evidence in children, so there's no basis for a dose or an age.
• You expect the label to tell you what ginkgo is for. It can't, because we found no permitted indication tied to it.