by Dr Alan H. Pressman, D.C., Ph.D., C.C.N & Helen Tracy

Note: The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified healthcare provider.

What do we mean by enhancing memory?

That is an extremely important question, because people may mean different things at different times. Some may be looking for a way to improve the learning process, which involves the acquisition and storage of memory, while others are seeking a way to eliminate "absent-mindedness," which probably involves the retrieval process.

What kind of memory does ginkgo biloba work on ?

Some of the studies of ginkgo biloba have involved taking large doses immediately before studying written material or attempting to master a procedure. Those studies are testing the effect of ginkgo on the learning process, the acquisition and storage of memory. Other studies, such as the Alzheimer's study, have addressed the retrieval of memory. The most promising aspect of ginkgo, according to tests done so far, is with the retrieval of short-term, episodic memory--the kind that helps you remember what to get at the grocery store. However, there are indications that it can help with different kinds of memory in certain people.

Clearly, a substance that is effective in one situation may or may not be effective in another. As we look at ginkgo and other memory enhancers, keep that in mind. If you want to improve your short-term, episodic memory--which is the goal for most of us--you should deal skeptically with claims based on tests involving learning, such as memorization or maze-running. It's important that you--as a reader, patient, and consumer--focus on the type of memory you want to improve so that you can make an intelligent decision about your options.

by Dr Alan H. Pressman, D.C., Ph.D., C.C.N & Helen Tracy

Note: The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified healthcare provider.

Introduction

The research is accumulating to show that ginkgo biloba can help repair and maintain memory in people with Alzheimer's disease. Is the same true for other people, perhaps those who are experiencing the normal processes of aging? Probably the first thing we need to look at--to answer this question--is the process of memory itself.

Memory is crucial to the efficient working of all aspects of human reason, and it is at the emotional center of our lives. (How many songs have been written about deductive reasoning?) It is also the focus of most of our efforts for mental improvement because it is the aspect of cognition that is most obvious and disturbing in its absence. And yet, our understanding of memory--what it is, how it works, why it fails--is often vague and incomplete. Before we can look at the options available for enhancing this crucial aspect of our intelligence, we need to know what we are dealing with.