Shopping's sign of superlative quality. It has been blended into Chinese tea, prescribed by German doctors and sprinkled on a wedding cake in Michigan.
Believers claim it cures memory loss, impotence and ringing in the ears.
But the herbal industry continues its boom. And a large, albeit uneven body of research suggests that extract from the Ginkgo biloba may have a significant effect on the memory functions of the human brain. It represents the largest study ever of intellectual decline of older Americans. It's certainly going to generate some worthwhile information about Alzheimer's disease. The center is small compared to NIH institutes that tackle cancer and other major health problems.