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Supplement of the month. Ginkgo-plus. In a press release issued last month by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Ms Winfield is described as a stay-at-home mom who was diagnosed with Multiple-Sclerosis (MS) about four years ago.

After doing some research she started taking Ginkgo-Plus to address MS-related memory problems as well as muscle pain and fatigue. The result? She's sold, telling OHSU that Ginkgo is good for someone with MS and add in, "There is benefit to anyone taking it." Janice's comments are featured in the press releaseto highlight new research from the OHSU Schooll of Medicine and the OHSU MS Center of Oregon. Presented last month at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, the study demonstrates the benefits that GINKGO-BILOBA may have on MS patients.

Ginkgo-Biloba is the oldest living tree species - possible as much as 200 million years old - and has been cultivated in Asia for almost 5,000 years. Although the Ginkgo leaves have been used for many centuries to enhance memory and cognitive function, modern research on the pharmacological value of Ginkgo-Biloba didn't begin until the late 1950s when it was first concentrated into a standardized extract by German scientists. In 1965 Ginkgo-Biloba extract (GBE) as we know it today was introduced to the European market where it has been widely used for more than 30 years to treat circulation problems, sexual dysfunction, and cerebral disorders, including ALZHEIMER'S disease.

In the most recent GBE study, researchers recruited 39 adult subjects with MS, 20 recieved a GBE supplement, and 19 recieved a placebo. The subjects where then assessed with a stroop test, which is a timed color and word test that evaluates attention, decision-making and execution of actions. Subjects in the GBE group were 13% faster at completing the test compared to the placebo group. And although that percentage only represents a four second difference in testing speed, Jesus Lovera, M.D. the lead author of the study, explained that this represented the cognitive difference between someone in their 30s and someone in their 50s. Dr. Lovera hopes to produce a large GBE study using the stroop test to evaluate MS patients who are specifically diagnosed with attention dysfunction and impairment in the ability to sort conflicting information.

Next Month: Ginkgo-Biloba helps with sore eyes. Encouraging results for down syndrome, skin benefits and possible protection from Cell-phone induced brain damage. And next month, " the power of GARLIC".