Ginkgo
Biloba Extract (GBE) has long played an important
role in the fight against tinnitus. Arches Tinnitus
Relief Formula® has always used the highest quality,
premium-grade GBE found on the world market. And now,
it just got much better.
After
years of research and using newly developed extraction
technologies, we have developed a customized ginkgo
extract for Arches Tinnitus Relief Formula® that
is specifically designed for people who suffer from
tinnitus. This is the first ginkgo formulation in
the world expressly created for tinnitus.
In order
to understand the critical differences between our
new GBE formulation versus the standardized ginkgo
extract, and why it has greater potential to improve
tinnitus, we should review the development of Ginkgo
Biloba Extract.
The
“Standardized” Ginkgo Biloba Extract
The Dr.
Willmar Schwabe Company of Germany developed the first
GBE in 1965. It was based on a standardized extract
consisting of a minimum of 24% flavonol glycosides
and 6% terpene lactones. Included are three types
of flavonol glycosides. The terpene lactones consist
of ginkgolides A through J and, very importantly,
bilobalide.
As originally
developed, there were also minimum amounts of individual
components required. Ginkgolides A, B and C were to
be at least 2.8% and bilobalide at least 2.6%. Ginkgolic
acid, a powerful allergen and undesirable component,
was to be reduced to less than 5 ppm (parts per million).
Initially
called EGb 761, this has come to be known in the US
as 24/6 Ginkgo Biloba Extract. Our new customized
ginkgo extract has been designed to exceed 28/8.
What this important difference means for your tinnitus
will be discussed in a moment.
Ginkgo
Biloba Extract has many uses in human health. The
American Botanical Council’s Clinical Guide
to Herbs states that the primary uses for ginkgo are
tinnitus/vertigo, cerebral insufficiency and peripheral
vascular disease. In Germany, ginkgo extract is approved
for the treatment of tinnitus, among other conditions.
GBE is sold as a prescription medicine in Germany
but as a dietary supplement in the US.
Unfortunately,
ginkgo is not as well regulated in the US as it is
in Europe. The result is a flood of adulterated
ginkgo biloba in the US market. There is so much
adulterated ginkgo that Consumer Labs reported in
2007 that 75% of all ginkgo products it tested had
failed due to a lack of required amounts of one or
more constituents.
Your
Brain on Tinnitus
Neurotransmitters
facilitate the transfer of chemical information between
synapses in the brain and auditory nerve. There are
many neurotransmitters in the brain but two of the
primary, workhorse transmitters are glutamate and
GABA (gamma-amino-butyric acid). Glutamate is an excitatory
neurotransmitter and GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Too much excitation creates an increase in electrical
and chemical activity that can lead to neurological
disorders like tinnitus.
Glutamate
is a neurotransmitter used by the ear to transmit
signals across the synapse leading to the brain. It
is produced by the hair cells of the inner ear when
converting vibrational sound into electrical signals.
When the hair cells are damaged (as with exposure
to loud noise), they produce excess glutamate, which
floods the neurotransmitter receptors in the auditory
nerve and brain. Excess glutamate overexcites the
neurons and causes them to fire continuously until
they become depleted and eventually die. This process
is known as glutamate neurotoxicity and is responsible
for many neurological conditions including tinnitus.
Why
Ginkgo Works for Tinnitus
There are
three simultaneously operating mechanisms of action
responsible for the reduction of tinnitus:
1 - The
flavonol glycosides are responsible for ginkgo’s
antioxidant actions. Antioxidants neutralize damaging
free radicals, which are involved in cellular damage
and are a source of hearing impairment due to cochlear
damage.
2 - The
ginkgolide fractions of terpene lactones support blood
vessel relaxation and inhibit platelet activating
factor (PAF). This results in increased circulation,
especially in the micro-capillaries that feed the
brain, eyes and ears.
3 –Most
importantly, the bilobalide fraction of terpene lactones
protects brain neurons by affecting GABA receptors
in the brain and by glutamate antagonism and antioxidant
activity. It also protects against ischemic injury
(lack of blood flow) and neuronal death.
Read more
on how Arches
Tinnitus Relief Formula®
works for tinnitus in our Tinnitus Library.
Why
Bilobalide Is So Important for Tinnitus
Bilobalide
has been found to be a potent antagonist to glutamate
release. It has also been shown to reduce the rate
of GABA uptake, meaning it keeps GABA active in the
system to reduce the effects of increased glutamate.
Bilobalide is potently therapeutic in cerebrovascular
and neurodegenerative disorders such as tinnitus.
One study
from the UK on bilobalide and neuroprotection states
“. . . an ability to decrease excitotoxic amino
acid release, particularly glutamate, would suggest
that this is a probable mechanism to account for its
neuroprotective properties.” (1)
Another
study concludes “. . . the reported neuroprotective
properties of bilobalide may, in part, be mediated
through its ability to reduce glutamate efflux, thus
leading to a decrease in the excitotoxic effects of
this neurotransmitter.” (2)
Still another
clinical study concludes “. . . Bilobalide has
been shown to be protective against glutamate-induced
excitotoxic neuronal death.” (3)
Arches’
New Ginkgo Formulation
Arches
has taken this knowledge and created a new, more potent,
ginkgo extract designed for people with tinnitus.
We have increased the flavonol glycoside component
from the standard 24% to 28.9%! The terpene lactone
content has increased from 6% to 8%! Ginkgolides A,
B and C have increased from 2.8% to over 4%!
Perhaps
most importantly, our bilobalide content has jumped
from 2.6% to 3.6%, a 40% increase over standardized
24/6 Ginkgo biloba extract. At the same time, ginkgolic
acid has been reduced to less than 0.5 ppm.