Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo is the leaf of Ginkgo biloba, a tree grown on plantations in China, France and the US. The ingredient trade is built on dry leaf extracts made with acetone-water or ethanol-water, purified and standardized to flavonol glycosides and terpene lactones (ginkgolides and bilobalide), with ginkgolic acids removed to a low limit. Leaf powder is also sold but is not standardized.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Purified dry extract, usually specified at about 24% flavonol glycosides and 6% terpene lactones by HPLC, with a ginkgolic acid limit.
Dried, milled leaf for teas and powders; unstandardized and with natural ginkgolic acid levels.
Extract granulated or on a carrier for tablets and drink mixes, with the carrier lowering marker percentages.
Leaf or extract from certified organic plantations, with the certificate tied to the lot.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep extract sealed in lined drums, cool, dry and out of light; the purified extract is hygroscopic. Reseal opened containers promptly. Shelf life or retest date comes from the supplier, with the marker assay repeated at retest.
Low-cost lots have a history of adulteration, so check the flavonol ratio and free flavonoid results on every COA, not only totals. Record the supplier lot and assay method at receiving.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
Health Canada's natural health product monograph for ginkgo lists the leaf of Ginkgo biloba as the source material and covers dry extracts standardized to 22-27% flavonoid glycosides and 5-7% terpene lactones.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue (entry POL-NF-00380) concerns only the leaves of Ginkgo biloba and lists them as not novel in food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · Mollet del Vallès, Spain
Euromed is a Spanish producer of standardized botanical extracts for pharmaceutical, supplement, food and cosmetic companies, with plants near Barcelona and in Murcia. It is part of the Dermapharm Group.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include standardized leaf extract, leaf powder, water-soluble and granulated extract and organic leaf. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect flavonol glycosides (HPLC), terpene lactones (HPLC), ginkgolic acids (HPLC), adulteration screen, heavy metals and microbiology and residual solvents, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep extract sealed in lined drums, cool, dry and out of light; the purified extract is hygroscopic. Reseal opened containers promptly. Shelf life or retest date comes from the supplier, with the marker assay repeated at retest.
Health Canada's natural health product monograph for ginkgo lists the leaf of Ginkgo biloba as the source material and covers dry extracts standardized to 22-27% flavonoid glycosides and 5-7% terpene lactones. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue (entry POL-NF-00380) concerns only the leaves of Ginkgo biloba and lists them as not novel in food.
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