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Vermeulen Synoptic 2\Ginkgo bilobaGINKGO BILOBA


Gink.


<Signs>
Ginkgo biloba. Maidenhair Tree. N.O. Ginkgoaceae.

Ornamental Chinese fan-leaved tree. The name is a corruption of the Chinese name 'yin kuo', 'silver fruit.' It is the only species in the Ginkgoaceae, a separate class to the Coniferae. It does not belong to the Taxaceae, as is sometimes mistakenly stated. There is a close relationship to the Coniferae, but Ginkgo differs in its wide, fan-shaped, flat leaf and its method of fertilisation.

The ginkgo is the last link in the long chain of evolution of the Ginkgoaceae. It probably already existed in the Devonian era, but definitely in the Permian era. It reached its peak in the Triad and the Jura eras. Only one living species of this plant family has survived to the present day: G.

biloba. This is considered as the oldest living fossil on earth, a claim also made for Sequoia. It stems from an era more than 200 million years ago.

During the Tertiary era the ginkgo in the wild covered the entire northern hemisphere, a region now reduced to an area in southeastern China. It is an ancient culture plant in the Far East, where the tree has been an object of veneration since time immemorial and is cultivated near residential areas and temples. Its cultivation as a temple tree spread from China to Japan, where the tree is sacred. The tree can live for 2000 years. In Europe the ginkgo has become popular in recent centuries as an ornamental tree. The tree purchased in 1754 by Kew Gardens in London can still be seen there. Because the seeds stink so much [although they seldom ripen in Western countries], male trees are preferred as ornamental trees. As the most resistant of tree species against insects, disease, and pollution, Ginkgo is frequently planted along streets in cities. The oddly proportioned young trees become stately with age. The administration of a ginkgo preparation to students in a big city, lead to remarkable improvements in their school results in no time.

Respiratory complaints caused by air pollution in the city, showed detectable improvements. Ginkgo extracts enhance the utilization of oxygen.

The fan-shaped leaves have two lobes [hence bi-loba]. Ginkgo biloba, dioecious and deciduous, blossoms in June. The female flowers are in pairs.

Only one of the two seeds ripens. The oil-rich brownish-yellow seed resembles a small plum and stinks of rancid butter. In old trees the bark is grey and looks like the skin of an elephant; in young trees the bark is brown with cork-like cracks.

If the skin brushes against the seed mantle [especially if it is rotting], intense skin irritation occurs, sometimes only after 1 or 2 days, which is called ginnan-kabure in Japan. It usually disappears spontaneously after a week. Other poisoning symptoms include respiration disorders.

In China and Japan the seed mantel is removed through fermentation. The remaining endosperm is then cooked, roasted or baked. In Japan the seeds are also used against worms. The leaves are laid between the pages of books to drive off parasites. The cosmetic industry uses the leaves for hair colouring agents [to look younger] and allopathy to combat oedema. "Medical excitement over ginkgo comes principally from the herb's ability to interfere with the action of a substance the body produces called platelet activating factor [PAF]. Discovered in 1972, PAF is involved in an enormous number of biological processes: asthma attacks, organ graft rejection, arterial blood flow, and the internal blood clots involved in heart attacks and some strokes. By inhibiting PAF, ginkgo has been shown to have enormous healing potential, particularly in conditions associated with aging. ... Preliminary reports suggest ginkgo may help prevent the rejection of transplanted organs.

It may also be effective against allergies, high blood pressure, kidney problems, and Alzheimer's disease." [Castleman] Ginkgo biloba is extremely rich in acids and fatty acids [chinic acid, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, oxalic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, linoleic acid].

Proved in 1933 by Maury on 7 persons [5 men, 2 women]. Also proved in 1987-89 by Swoboda and Knig on 50 persons. McIvor did a proving on himself in 1971.


<Compare>
Rhus toxicodendron. Selenium. Spigelia. Cocculus. Gelsemium. Muriaticum acidum. Sulphur.

Comparisons
: ->
Headache in left temple or above left eye.


->
Ginkgo: Left-sided temporal or supraorbital headache, agg cold air, agg

cold, amel rest and lying down; + pain in left eye; + vertigo; + impaired vision.


->
Niccolum: Nervous headache or migraine in intellectuals, + dyspepsia or constipation; headache on waking, agg towards noon, amel open air, cold applications and after eating.


->
Spigelia: Neuralgic or cardiac headache extending from occiput to left eye, amel cold, agg motion and towards noon.


->
Selenium: Left-sided supraorbital headache in exhausted persons, agg sun and strong odours.


<Region>
Central nervous system. Circulation. Skin. * Left side. Right side.


<Leading Symptoms>
M Mentally weak and exhausted.

Poor concentration.

Loss of memory and inability to solve mental tasks.

Absent-minded and forgetful.

Indifference on account of weakness.

"The provers remarked that everything felt too much. 'I can't do it, I

feel totally exhausted'. A dull feeling in the head, difficulty in concentration. Avoiding people and conversation. A drawing back. Rising at 7 a.m. and sitting and waiting for the time to go by. Doesn't even bother to eat; doesn't cook, or if she does, then badly." [Swoboda]

M Postponing everything.

"Nothing matters, neither to go to work nor to keep an appointment."

M Irrational fears + rapid speech.

M Suppressed anger + tendency to tear up something.

Disposition to criticise others or self-criticism.

M "The dreams were clearly remembered. Dreams of water, flooding and a characteristic fearful waking from dreams. Dreams of robbers and fights. Another prover dreamt of falling down and breaking her head in three parts. They were all fearful dreams wherein the prover woke with a fright and felt unrefreshed in the morning. Dreams of bomb explosions, of escaping and death in the family; of grave yards, of misfortune. Dreams of millions of ants, of corpses and of being dissected." [Swoboda]

M Delusion of being old. [Comp. Sequoia, another 'fossil' tree as old as Ginkgo.]

"One prover described herself as 'feeling old like an old mother,' while the mother of another prover said: 'you look like an old woman'. Sitting there in the morning, bent over, with no contact with the surroundings and concentration problems, tired and dull, forgets to cook [what she always liked to do], and dreaming that her hair gets grey. A full picture of a lonely, withdrawn, demented old person." [Swoboda]

G Pale, chilly, dry and weak people.

G Great physical fatigue.

"At the time of preparation [of the Mother Tincture of Ginkgo biloba], I

felt a certain heaviness of the head, but decided the sensation was unimportant. Within a day or two, however, my head began to feel unbearably heavy. The neck muscles felt so weak that it was necessary for me to support my head with one hand. The cervical vertebrae began to crack with head movements, particularly when turning the head to the left, and I felt overcome with exhaustion. The muscles of the arms began to feel unbearably weak, so that any form of manipulation became a great effort. Even moving the fingers and lifting the arms was exhausting." [McIvor]

G Chilly.

Icy coldness of feet and fingertips. [Unger]

Paroxysmal symmetrical paleness of hands.

G agg Cold damp weather.

agg Humid weather or warm atmosphere. [McIvor]

G Desire for cold drinks [due to dryness of throat].

G agg Alcohol. [Unger]

G Intolerance of fats. [Unger]

G Inability to perspire.

Skin dry, like parchment [as in hypothyroidism].

[McIvor also noted dryness: "Skin felt dry and body felt dry, but there was no thirst."]

Or: Offensive, sticky sweat.

G Sleeplessness, or waking, between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

Nightmares; dreams of corpses.

G Dryness.

[nose; mouth; throat; skin]

P Left-sided temporal or supraorbital headache.

agg Cold.

amel Rest; lying down.

+ Vertigo.

+ Weakness of nape of neck.

+ Pain in left eye.

+ Impaired vision.

Dull pain in temples.

P Painful weakness of cervical region.

Great pain on turning head to left.

Stiffness and cracking on turning head to right.

P MYASTHENIA.

Muscular Weakness agg Cold.

Dupuytren's contracture.

Writer's cramp.

Increasing muscular atrophy + fibrillation and decline of reflexes.

[Unger]

[Sources: H. Unger, Ginkgo biloba, in: Leesers Lehrbuch der Homopathie, Pflanzliche Arzneistoffe I, p. 296-304.

F. Swoboda and P. Knig, A Proving of Ginkgo Biloba D 30, Homoeopathic Links 1/92.

F. Swoboda and P. Knig, Ginkgo biloba, Documenta Homoeopathica 11/1991 +
13/1993.

E.G. McIvor, Ginkgo biloba - a proving, British Homoeopathic Journal 64/2, 1975.]

RUBRICS*
Mind: Absent-minded [2]; inadvertence [1]. Abstraction of mind while driving car [1]. Anger with herself [1]; while listening to talk of others [1]. Anxiety on waking from frightful dreams [1]. Cheerful in spite of itching eruption [1]. Aversion to company [2]; avoids people [2].

Concentration difficult [3]; while talking [1]; while writing [1]. Aversion to conversation [2]. Delusion she is old [1]; she is poor [1]; she is pregnant [1]. Disgust with herself [1]. Aversion to being disturbed [2]. Fear of poverty [1]. Aversion to going out [1]. Irritability [3]; from trifles [2]. Pities herself [1]. Wants to be quiet [1]. Indisposed to talk during sadness [1]. Weeping amel [1]; easily [1]; before menses [1]; when telling about her sickness [1].

Vertigo: With obscuration of sight [1].

Head: Heat in head after drinking wine [1]. Pain, headache [4]; amel

coffee [1]; constant [1]; + dullness [1]; + sensation as if skull were too small [1]; from odours [1]; amel sleep [1]; from loss of sleep [1]; + desire for wrapping up [1]. Sensation of perspiration [1].

Eye: Lachrymation when looking steadily [1]; during pain in eye [1].

Pain amel cold air [1]; amel open air [1]; as from exertion of vision [1]; burning pain amel rubbing [1].

Ear: Red discolouration of ears + heat in head after drinking wine [1]. Noises in ears + nausea [1]; + vertigo [1].

Face: Corners of mouth cracked [1]. Eruption, herpes wing of nose at beginning of menses [1]. Pain agg draft of air [1]; amel warmth [1]; amel warmth and wrapping up [1].

Mouth: Taste as from tobacco in mouth [1].

Teeth: Pain amel biting teeth together [1]; beginning long after extraction [1].

Throat: Pain at night [2]; amel drinking [2]; agg empty swallowing [3].

Stomach: Sensation as if stomach were filled with ants [1/1].

Fullness [2]; after eating ever so little [1]; + thirst [1]. Thirst at night [1].

Abdomen: Pain, at night, waking from sleep during menses [1]; agg

clothing [1]; amel warmth [1].

Rectum: Constipation, difficult stool, stool recedes [1]. Flatus, offensive smell like spoiled eggs [1]. Sudden urging in morning [1]; waking her at night [1].

Bladder: Involuntary urination during cough [1].

Urine: Copious in morning on waking early [1].

Female: Menses more at night [1]; copious and short [2]; too frequent [2]; short duration [3].

Chest: Palpitation of heart [2]; in evening in bed [1]; agg lying on left side [1]; amel motion [1]; amel motion of legs [1]. Offensive perspiration in axilla [1].

EXTREMITIES: Awkwardness, hands, drops things during headache [1].

Excoriation between toes as from perspiration [1]. Formication legs while sitting, amel motion [1]. Brittle nails [1]. Pain long after injury [1]; pain in joints during rain and cold, damp weather [1].

Perspiration: While talking to someone [1].

GENERALITIES: Morning [4]. Evening [3]. Night [2]. Lack of vital heat in evening in bed, preventing sleep [1]. Lassitude # activity [1]. Weariness [3]; in morning on waking [2]; amel walking in open air [1].

*[Derived from Swoboda and Knig]


Food

Aversion: Alcohol [1]; beer [1]; coffee [1]; eggs [1]; milk [1]; tobacco [1].

Desire: Alcohol [1]; beer [1]; chocolate [1]; coffee [1]; cold beer [1]; cold drinks [1]; meat [1]; salt [1]; sugar [1]; sweets [1]; tuna fish [1].

Worse: Alcohol [2]; fat [2]; coffee [1]; cold beer [1]; smell of tobacco [1].

Better: Coffee [1].

__________________
RSHom - Registered Homeopath