Word: ginkgo
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...memory-pill lineup is ginkgo biloba, the dried leaf of the maidenhair tree, thought to improve circulation and, in theory, memory. While ginkgo is still considered an alternative medication, it has caused such a stir and gained such a following that even so button-down a company as Bayer, better known for aspirin, has begun marketing the stuff...
...principle behind ginkgo is straightforward enough: fortify the aging brain with a bit more blood, and most of its faltering functions--memory included--ought to come back online. But what works in principle often doesn't stand up to pharmacological scrutiny, and ginkgo is giving scientists pause. The few clinical studies that have been conducted on ginkgo involved only patients with Alzheimer's disease. While these people did experience flickers of improved memory, that's no indication that ordinary middle-agers with ordinary memory woes will benefit similarly. "We don't really know whether it works for mild memory loss...
Vitamin E is another common memory nostrum, popular because it is an antioxidant, able to gather up and neutralize cell-damaging chemicals known as free radicals, a highly reactive form of oxygen that is a normal byproduct of metabolism. Like ginkgo, vitamin E has been tested mostly on Alzheimer's patients and has been shown to slow down the advance of the disease as much as seven months--not much for a condition that takes years to do its brain-ravaging work, but progress nonetheless. "There is a lot of evidence that there's oxidative damage in the brain both...
...only may memory potions not help, there is a real chance they could hurt. Ginkgo and vitamin E both act as blood thinners. Taking either one could increase the risk of internal bleeding; taking them together makes the danger even greater. NSAIDS can contribute to internal bleeding and anemia, aggravate ulcers and damage the kidneys...
Forewarned, I nonetheless decided to sample a couple of the memory nostrums, starting with ginkgo. The package warned that in addition to any other potential problems, ginkgo can cause "mild gastrointestinal discomfort." After just one pill, I discovered that the package was--how best to put this?--not kidding. It's hard to say if my memory improved in the little time I was on ginkgo, but I can say I had no trouble at all remembering to eat a bland diet for several days afterward. Vitamin E had similarly little impact on my memory. Those antioxidants may be able...