Traditional Chinese Medicine Small Lecture Hall

The "Fragrant Grasses and Hundreds of Flavors" column of "Traditional Chinese Medicine Small Lecture Hall" is jointly launched by Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Guangzhou News and Information Broadcasting. It can be found on the "Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine" WeChat Public account, Guangzhou News Radio FM962 (every Tuesday morning 11:00-11:30) "Traditional Chinese Medicine Lecture Hall" column push.

This column is supported by the Pharmacy Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine!

Ginkgo

Host Pengpeng: After the white dew, the autumn dryness is getting stronger, and ginkgo, lily and lotus seed soup are served to everyone's dining tables one after another. In this issue of "Fragrant Grass and Hundred Flavors", we invite traditional Chinese medicine pharmacist Zheng Xianhui from the Department of Pharmacy of the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to introduce you to ginkgo.

Zheng Xianhui: I believe everyone is familiar with delicacies such as ginkgo bean curd porridge and pork belly stewed with ginkgo and bamboo soup. Ginkgo is a medicinal material that can be used both as medicine and food. It is both delicious and healthy.

Ginkgo is the mature seed of Ginkgo biloba. The ginkgo tree is an ancient tree species known as the "veteran of plants", "living plant fossil" and "panda of the plant world", so the ginkgo is also called ginkgo fruit. It is also called spiritual eye, Buddha nail, duck foot, Gongsun fruit, etc. in some places. Ginkgo was first recorded in the "Daily Materia Medica" of the Yuan Dynasty. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that it tastes sweet, bitter, astringent, and is neutral in nature; it is poisonous. Returns to the lung and kidney meridians. It has the effect of astringing the lungs, calming asthma, and stopping urination and urination. It is used for symptoms such as asthma and cough with excessive phlegm, white and turbid vaginal discharge, enuresis and frequent urination. It is a good medicine for the treatment of cough, asthma and enuresis. Modern medical research shows that the main active ingredients of ginkgo are ginkgo terpene lactones, ginkgo flavonoids, ginkgo polysaccharides, ginkgo proteins, etc. It has the functions of regulating blood pressure and blood lipids; protecting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular vessels; scavenging free radicals in the human body; delaying aging and enhancing memory. It can also be anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-tumor, regulate immune function, etc.

In addition to being used as a traditional Chinese medicinal material, ginkgo also has a sweet taste and rich nutrition. It is often used in dietary therapy and medicinal diet. It is a good product for both medicine and food. However, in addition to some active ingredients that are beneficial to the body, ginkgo also contains toxic ingredients such as ginkgolic acid, ginkgo toxins, and allergenic proteins. Excessive or improper consumption can cause toxic side effects and even death. Children, especially, should be careful when eating ginkgo.

The dosage of ginkgo when used as medicine is generally 5 to 10 grams. Usually it can be used raw when decoction is made, and it should be simmered when made into powder or chewed. Ginkgo is highly toxic when eaten raw, so it is best to eat it cooked, and it should not be taken for long periods of time.

In addition, ginkgo is astringent and astringent, so patients with exogenous pathogenic factors should not eat it.

Okay, that’s it for today’s program, see you next time!

Zheng Xianhui

Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacist, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine