Witnessed by: TCM · Western
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), of the Ginkgoaceae family. Tall deciduous tree with fan-shaped, two-lobed leaves and fleshy malodorous seeds; native range: eastern China; a living fossil preserved in temple gardens. Globally recognized as bai guo (白果), yin xing (銀杏) in Chinese, and maidenhair tree, ginkgo nut, ginkgo leaf in English. The part used is seed (bai guo) in China; leaf in Western practice. The ripe seed-coat reeks of rancid butter; the cleaned nut is sweetish and starchy, while the golden fan leaf is faintly bitter and astringent.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
GINKGO
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Ginkgo
- Scientific name
- Ginkgo biloba L.
- Family
- Ginkgoaceae
Form
- Part used
- seed (bai guo) in China; leaf in Western practice
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · bitter · astringent, with slight toxicity
- Western
- bitter · astringent
Temperature
TCM: neutral
Western: neutral
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses find it temperate — a mild, consolidating remedy rather than a heating or cooling one
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Kidney
- Western
- circulation · nervous system · lungs
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- astringes Lung qi to calm wheezing, transforms phlegm, stops leukorrhoea and stabilises the urine
- Western
- circulatory stimulant, cerebral and peripheral vasodilator, antioxidant, cognitive tonic
Cautions
Contraindications: bleeding disorders and the perioperative period; raw seeds are toxic; caution in seizure disorders
Toxicity: raw or excess seeds cause 'gin-nan' poisoning — vomiting and convulsions from ginkgotoxin; the leaf may cause mild gastric upset and headache
Interactions
- Western
- anticoagulants: additive antiplatelet action raising bleeding risk · antiepileptics: may lower the seizure threshold and reduce drug efficacy
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