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Postgraduate Medical Journal 2001;77:112-113; doi:10.1136/pmj.77.904.112
© 2001 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine.
Postgrad Med J 2001;77:112-113 ( February )

Case reports

A case of cerebral haemorrhage---can Ginkgo biloba be implicated? J Benjamin, T Muir, K Briggs, B Pentland

Rehabilitation Medicine Unit, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh EH9 2HL, UK

Correspondence to: Dr Benjamin fourbenjamins{at}cableinet.co.uk

Submitted 11 May 2000; Accepted 19 July 2000

The case of a 56 year old man who suffered a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage after regular self medication with the herbal preparation, Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is described, and the possible association is discussed.


Key points

  • The herbal preparation Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is promoted as a remedy for a wide range of conditions (for example, dementia, erectile dysfunction, tinnitus)
  • There are grounds to suspect an association with intracranial haemorrhage as described in this case
  • Awareness of these suspicions should encourage proper documentation of all herbal remedies used when patients present to medical staff




Keywords: Ginkgo biloba; haemorrhage; herbal remedies

© 2001 by The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
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