Ginkgo Biloba - An Ornamental And Medicinal Plant

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Ginkgo biloba can be grown in a tub, in a greenhouse or even in the country

The only species in the genus and family of Ginkgoids is ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba) - the oldest plant, the predecessor of conifers, widespread in the Mesozoic era. The mountain forests of Southeast China are considered its homeland.

In many countries, ginkgo is cultivated as a medicinal and ornamental plant. In Russia, the tree grows well and bears fruit in the south of the country. Ginkgo can be planted and grown much further north.

In such conditions, the tree will not bear fruit, and in other years the tips of the branches will freeze over, but it is possible to harvest medicinal raw materials from them. There are well-developed trees in Lvov, Kiev, Rostov, Voronezh, and in the Baltic states. In the Moscow region, the plant can exist in a bush form, remaining under the snow cover.

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Growing ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba is a light-loving and heat-loving plant. Prefers fertile, medium-textured and well-drained soil. The plant is propagated by seeds, less often by green cuttings.

In the greenhouse, seeds are sown in spring, seedlings appear in 2-3 weeks, at home - in 3-4 weeks. They sow in the ground in the fall, then the seedlings appear in the spring. Germination rates can vary greatly. When kept indoors after leaves fall, the plant needs a dormant period at lower temperatures.

Cuttings root poorly and only with the use of rooting stimulants (heteroauxin, indolylbutyric acid). Ginkgo biloba leaves are used as raw materials, which are harvested in autumn and dried. Dry raw materials are green leaf blades with well-pronounced veins, odorless, with a weak bitter-sour taste. Seeds are less commonly used.

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This plant can also be grown in our latitudes. Ginkgo seeds are acorn-sized nuts with thin white shells.

Before planting, nuts need to be stratified for a month and a half. For this purpose, the seeds are placed in wet sand and taken out to a cool place. After cooling, the seeds are planted in boxes with a nutrient substrate and placed in a warm place for further germination. Seeds germinate unevenly, some of them may not germinate even after the period of stratification, but this does not mean that they will not germinate at all.

In this way, you can get seedlings of the ginkgo plant. In the spring after frosts, seedlings are planted in open ground at a distance of 16-18 cm between seedlings. The planted seedlings must be shaded in the first year, and if necessary, in the following years, since the sprouts cannot tolerate direct sunlight and dry hot weather. Otherwise, they will be damaged by a burn, and the leaves will fall off, and then the growth of seedlings may completely stop for 1-2 years.

But do not go to extremes and do not plant ginkgo in the shade, the plants will feel bad there. By autumn, young seedlings will grow seedlings up to 20 cm high. They will be weak, but already with a large apical bud. For the winter, it is better to dig up young plants with a lump of earth, as they can freeze out, so before the onset of frost, dig the plants in a box with sand and transfer them to some basement.

In the spring of the second year, ginkgo biloba can already be planted in a permanent place. Sufficiently fertile areas with loose, well-moistened soil are suitable for this.

Ginkgo biloba is a fairly hardy plant, but it is still better to immediately decide on the location, and not replant it often. The first two years this tree is like a child, it requires a lot of attention. It must be cared for and cherished: weeds, watering.

An older plant no longer needs such care, it will no longer be afraid of even direct sunlight. From the second year of life, ginkgo can be left to winter in the open field, you just need to insulate the seedlings a little, and throw them in when snow falls. So the trees will winter well.

The healing properties of ginkgo biloba

The leaf extract improves cerebral circulation, increases the resistance of brain cells to hypoxia. In addition, the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect of this plant has been experimentally established. Prevents blood clots, lowers blood viscosity.

Applied in the form of finished dosage forms for disorders of cerebral circulation and accompanying symptoms: dizziness, disorientation in space, headaches, tinnitus, speech impairment, memory impairment and problems with concentration. It is recommended to take plant preparations for hypertension and atherosclerosis. It is also used for peripheral circulatory disorders caused by diabetes and smoking.

Its preparations are very effective for age-related changes in the vascular system. It is taken as a prophylactic agent in old age to improve memory. In Chinese medicine, ginkgo leaves are used against asthma and for prostate adenoma, thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. The seeds are used for diseases of the urinary tract. Pharmacies sell ready-made forms: Memoplant, Tanakan, Bilobil, Ginkgo Forte, Gigobil.

At home, you can make a decoction or alcoholic tincture from ginkgo leaves. The latter is more effective.

Pour dry leaves with 40% alcohol or vodka (1:10). Insist for two weeks in a dark place, filter and take 10-20 drops three times a day in courses of one month with short breaks. The first medical studies in the West made it possible to speak of the special promising nature of ginkgo preparations for a number of chronic vascular diseases. Then research was carried out in America, Europe, Japan, and all of them, independently of each other, showed that miracles work from ginkgo.

Ginkgo leaves prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. First of all, they improve the work of the capillaries, the venous vessels of the brain. Prevent age-related gradual death of brain cells, degeneration of brain tissue. Restore memory, including for senile failures.

The use of ginkgo preparations slows down the overall aging of the brain. Ginkgo helps to cope with many types of depression, dizziness, migraines, sleep disturbances. Improves blood flow to the extremities. The drug has a positive effect on metabolic processes in cells and has an antioxidant effect. It has recently begun to be recommended for multiple sclerosis. The use of ginkgo significantly increases the results of treatment of one of the conservative hopeless diseases - senile dementia. And this, by the way, is not all that ginkgo is capable of.

Ginkgo preparations are an excellent remedy for many age-related diseases, which means they inhibit aging and prolong life. In case of an overdose or improper intake, some may have mild digestive upsets (nausea, heartburn), allergic skin reactions, headaches that are mild and short-term. It is not recommended to use ginkgo for mental retardation in children. Limit the intake in acute disorders of cerebral circulation, in acute myocardial infarction, hypotension.

Seeds of ginkgo biloba, as well as seeds of many interesting plants will be sent by your order. I will send a catalog of these plants in your envelope. Write to the address: 607062, Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Section 2, PO Box 52 - Andrei Viktorovich Kozlov. E-mail: [email protected]