Alzheimer's: Ginkgo Fails to Postpone Dementia; $250 million wasted annually by adults hoping otherwise

Despite being taken by millions of Americans, the popular herbal supplement ginkgo biloba to improve brain health, does not appear to help postpone dementia. The results of one of the largest and longest to trials to date on the ginkgo were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association late last year and reported in the Wall Street Journal. The results suggest that the quarter billion dollars spent by U.S. adults may "largely be a waste of money."

"This is going to be a wake-up call to people who are blindly taking over-the-counter brain boosters, thinking if it's being sold in a reputable store it's effective," said P. Murali Doraiswamy, a memory expert at Duke University. Dr. Doraiswamy was not involved in the study.

Though some small published studies of ginkgo had suggested that the herb might provide some benefit for individuals already suffering from dementia, its effectiveness in prevention hadn't been well-studied until now.

There are possibilities that gingko could be slightly beneficial in certain circumstances--for example if taken after a stroke or perhaps taken by young adults for a longer period than in the study. But at present it appears that the claims made by the marketers of this herbal supplement are unsubstantiated.

Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia continues to be one of the biggest medical challenges for aging seniors. In December, the daughter of the 81-year old "Columbo" star Peter Falk filed for conservatorship of his estate who she claims no longer recognizes people.