Ginkgo May Reduce Radiation Damage
Preliminary research indicates that antioxidants extracted from ginkgo biloba may help shield cells from radiation damage.
For the study, scientists worked with human white blood cells collected from healthy donors (ages 18 to 50). After treating half the cells with ginkgo biloba extract and half with a salt solution, the researchers exposed all the cells to a type of radiation often used in cancer treatment. Results suggested that ginkgo helped protect against radiation poisoning, most likely to due to the herb's antioxidant effects.
An herb used medicinally for thousands of years, ginkgo biloba is thought to stimulate circulation. Although research on ginkgo biloba's health effects is still fairly limited, studies suggest that the herb shows promise in the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer's disease, tinnitus, asthma, Raynaud's disease, and macular degeneration.
Unfortunately, those who sought to take radiation as a cancer treatment have already made the choice to avoid alternative medicine. While it is interesting that Gingko could be used to reduce radiation damage, I doubt that those who seek the chemo/radiation combo will ever use it.