Updated: 2023/02/12
Ginkgo pleases our eyes throughout the four seasons
It’s the season when the green leaves that spread out like a fan shine beautifully in the sky. Ginkgo biloba provides a cool shade in the summer, and when the leaves turn yellow in the fall, they drop and make a pleasant yellow carpet. In Tokyo, Jingu Gaien is very famous for its row of ginkgo trees. It is said that the ginkgo trees, which are characteristic of this place, are pruned once every four years to maintain their specific shape.
In Japan, each prefecture has a prefectural tree, and ginkgo is selected as a prefectural tree in both Tokyo and Osaka. It is said to be strong against exhaust gas, etc.; thus, many roadside trees are ginkgo trees. Another feature of ginkgo is that it is strong against fire. It is said that the leaves contain a lot of moisture and stop the spread of fire. In the Ote moat green area along the moat of the Imperial Palace, there is an “earthquake ginkgo tree” that survived the fire caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake. It is a specimen tree of ginkgo trees in Tokyo by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Could ginkgo be the savior of an ageing society?
By the way, did you know that ginkgo biloba leaves have been said to affect brain function for a long time? A German company, Schwabe, has been selling ginkgo leaf extract supplements for a long time. I’ve heard that in Europe there is a custom of drinking ginkgo leaves as tea. Recent research has shown that the ingredients contained in ginkgo biloba extract improve blood flow. Schwabe Ginkgo extract, which Asahi Group Foods sell, is a food with functional claims and maintains memory (the ability to recall words, images of objects, and location information), which is a part of cognitive function.
It’s a matter of personal opinion, but I feel a sense of security in things like this material that have been used for a long time. This is because if it was harmful, it must have been avoided in the long history. At a time when there was no scientific testing technology, tthey discovered and handed down the fact that there was something in this. The wisdom of ancient people is amazing.
