We shouldn’t be surprised to find another clinical indication for one of the world’s most researched herbal supplement. Vitiligo is an idiopathic condition that involves a steadily progressive de-pigmentation of the skin. This double blind preliminary study examined 47 vitiligo patients over six months, one group supplemented 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract daily (40 mg. tid) the other group took placebo. 10 individuals in the treatment group had complete re-pigmentation while only 2 in the placebo group experienced the same. Progression of de-pigmentation was arrested in about 80% of those in the treatment group vs. 36% in the placebo group.

Conventional treatment of vitiligo consists of topical steroids and waiting from months to years for symptoms to resolve, resulting in a frustrating and difficult to treat illness. The researchers summarized their outcome in the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology by informing us, “Ginkgo biloba extract seems to be a simple, safe and fairly effective therapy for arresting the progression of the disease”.

Parsad D, Pandhi R, Juneja A. Effectiveness of oral Ginkgo biloba in treating limited, slowly spreading vitiligo. Exp Dermatol. 2003 May;28(3):285-7