Summary.

Worldwide, Ginkgo biloba is one of the commonly used plant in the production of food supplements. The earliest evidence of use of leaves of Ginkgo biloba in clinical practice is found in the Chinese Materia Medica (Shen Nung Pen Tsao Ching), 2800 BC. In the 50 years of last century western medicine began to study the clinical application of Ginkgo biloba, and interest in nutritional supplements with Ginkgo biloba intensively increased in the late 70’s. Today, many medical professionals recommend Ginkgo biloba products to counteract chronic, age-related neurological disorders, but there are also studies focusing on the Ginkgo biloba adverse events and interactions with prescription and non-prescription medications. The aim of our present study was to conduct a review of literature on interactions between Ginkgo biloba extract and conventional medicines based on descriptions of the clinical consequences, case series and case reports. We have reviewed 47 publications on Ginkgo interactions in the scientific literature. We selected studies performed with Ginkgo biloba and focused on interaction with medicines and analyses of medical records. The information about interactions is summarized according to the pharmacological groups of medicines, level of interaction and effects. Specific examples are given with anticonvulsant agents, antidepressants, antihypertensive medications, blood-thinning and blood sugar lowering medications, diuretics etc. The knowledge of herb-medicine supplements interactions is an important tool for rational use of medicinal products and dietary supplements.