Legacy AI grade · Sources dated 2026-06-01. Not expert reviewed. Coverage is limited to the listed sources. About the new summary workflow
Ginkgo Biloba for Peripheral Circulation
For peripheral circulation problems such as intermittent claudication, the best evidence shows ginkgo biloba does not produce a clinically meaningful improvement in pain-free walking distance. It is not a substitute for proven treatments like supervised exercise.
Why this grade7-layer evidence engine
The grade is driven by the strongest available study contradicting the supplement's reputation. The 2013 Cochrane review (PMID 23744597; 14 trials, n=739) found that any increase in walking distance with ginkgo was small and not statistically significant (P=0.06), concluding there was no clinically meaningful benefit. An earlier 2000 meta-analysis (PMID 11014719) reported a modest ~34 m gain, but its authors called the effect small and of uncertain clinical importance, and it has since been superseded by the Cochrane analysis.
Newer, more rigorous trials reinforce the null result. A double-blind RCT of standardized EGb 761 (PMID 18628657, n=62) found no significant effect on treadmill walking time in peripheral artery disease, and a second RCT (PMID 17702699) showed that adding ginkgo to a supervised exercise program offered no advantage over exercise alone. The signal weakens as study quality improves.
Regulators and clinics align with this caution. NIH/NCCIH states there is no conclusive evidence ginkgo helps any health condition; Mayo Clinic notes large studies have not shown benefit; Harvard calls the leg-pain evidence conflicting; and the 2024 AHA/ACC peripheral artery disease guideline does not mention or endorse ginkgo, recommending supervised exercise and cilostazol instead. Ginkgo also carries a meaningful bleeding-interaction risk with antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs commonly used in these patients.
Scoring transparency
All scores computed by a 7-layer evidence engine — fully auditable▸View the full decision path (audit trail)
- compute_raw_score — 加權公式: L2×0.30 + L3×0.25 + L5×0.25 + L11×0.10 + L1×0.10 = 0.29
- tier_from_score — 依分數區間映射至 tier letter
- apply_hec_rules — 無高階證據可裁決
- tier_strict_requirement_check — Tier 條件達標，未降階
- detect_disputes — 偵測到 0 個 hard + 0 個 soft dispute
- decide_status — 依 tier + dispute 結果決定 status