The ginkgo biloba tree has been around for more than 200 million years. And it has been used for all sorts of health issues in China beginning 5000 years ago. By the 1600s, ginkgo biloba was thought to have died out but a German botanist found that in the pagoda gardens cared for by the Buddhist monks in China, it was still very much alive. At present, the plant can be found all over the world including Europe where it is used a great deal for its various healing properties.
If a person takes certain medications in combination with ginkgo biloba, the affects of could be either positive or negative. Therefore it is important to proceed with caution and consult a doctor to avoid ginkgo drug interaction issues. Ginkgo biloba drug interactions may positively affect a person when combined with cyclosporine drugs. This interaction guards the cell membrane from damage. A drug like papaverine, that is used to cure erectile dysfunctions, will also benefit from the ginkgo drug interaction. It improves the success rate of the drug because the ginkgo biloba has similar properties. Another possible positive affect of the combination of drugs and ginkgo biloba is the increase in the affects of the anti depressant drug, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) in patients. This affect may go either way though so one has to be careful.
There are other drugs that work badly with ginkgo biloba. In these rare instances, you must be careful and follow your doctors advice. One such area is the drug interaction with ginkgo biloba that may decrease the affect of drugs such as carbamazepine or valproic acid. These drugs are anticonvulsants taken by patients to help with seizures.
Ginkgo drug interactions have an impact on anyone who is using anti-coagulant medications. Ginkgo has blood thinning or anticoagulant properties. If you are taking drugs such as clopidogrel, heparin, ticlopidine, warfarin or dipyridamole you should avoid ginkgo biloba supplements.
People who are suffering with high blood pressure could be affected by the ginkgo biloba and drug interaction especially if they are using thiazide during treatment. Then there is trazodone, another antidepressant, in this instance, the drug and ginkgo biloba interaction may cause a coma. If you take only recommended amounts of ginkgo biloba and avoid the plant extract when there could be a negative interaction with other drugs, you should be fine.
If you have any concerns or questions about the safety of taking ginkgo biloba supplements while you are taking other medication, then you should discuss the issue with your physician who will be able to advise you based on your particular medical situation.

Sarah Thomas is an established freelance writer. You can find more of her writing at ginkgobilobasource.com and herbalwire.com.

Make your next meal tastier by adding herbs as well as the traditional salt and pepper. You might even get adventurous and leave the salt and pepper out! The benefit is not only a better tasting dish but you will also benefit from the healthy properties of the herbs chosen. Many herbs have antioxidants and many have been associated throughout the ages with special healing and preventative elements.

Try using some herbs in your next roasted chicken. As an example, I use a combination of sage, lemon and garlic, and use rosemary in the roasted potatoes and the whole family asks for more! The best part is that even the leftovers, if there are any; retain a lovely moisture and flavor. I also keep the bones and use them to make a really delicious stock for soups or to add that extra richness to a sauce to be used over the next roast chicken.

How about cilantro in a Mexican bean dish or in a taco mix? Nothing better!

How to Select the Right Herbs

Now, selecting your favorite and appropriate herbs can be an extremely rewarding experiment. You know, I don’t remember ever having a disaster even in my most experimental phases! Naturally you have to use some common sense, but this usually means choosing what your guests or family like or dislike. Having said that though, I have found that introducing some new herbs into a dish everyone likes is a great way for the kids to learn about new herbs.

My daughter used to hate tomatoes and still does; but when I made a delicious tomato sauce to use in a Bolognese with sage and thyme, which she loves, made her develop a liking for tomatoes, at least in one dish. I just couldn’t bear thinking that she could live her whole life without using tomatoes!

There is widespread belief that some herbs go ‘naturally’ with some food, like garlic and onion, rosemary and potatoes, and chives and butter. But, I find it really rewarding to try things for myself, in fact I once tried chili and chocolate because I read about it somewhere and even to my surprise it was fantastic.

Let your imagination run wild! But just remember one thing, fresh is best. It is not always possible to use fresh herbs and it may depend on the season and where you live. I use dried herbs sparingly and usually only when I’ve dried them myself. This means that I grow them myself too so I guess I’m a bit of a fanatic, but honestly I believe it is what sets a good cook apart from an excellent cook. Your friends will come to see that even though you use the same recipe as them, your will taste that little bit better! Your reputation will spread far and wide! But I also believe that once you start to make the effort to use fresh herbs it is a sign of your development into a caring cook who always wants to produce the best. Herbs bring out the best in you!

Using Your Herbs

Of course it is important to follow some simple guidelines when using fresh herbs. If you have grown them yourself and have raised them organically, that is without using pesticides or chemicals, you can just give them a light rinse under water, otherwise you will need to careful to give them a good drenching to remove any residue. In both cases however it is vital to remove all excess water using a salad spinner or just giving them a good shake being careful not to damage them unnecessarily.  Use paper towel if necessary.

Preparing the Herbs

Always use a very sharp knife to cut herbs into small pieces not by using a blender except where the recipe demands it, for example in a sauce preparation.
Adding the Herbs to the Dish

As a rule of thumb, always add the herbs to the dish according to their strength. Strong herbs, like rosemary and chilies can be added earlier whereas delicate herbs like coriander, basil and cilantro should be added towards the end process.

My rule is that 20 minutes for hard/strong herbs and 5 minutes for the lighter ones. Most recipes will indicate this but it is best to keep in the back of your mind.