This guide is written by Healthier Options, a UK supplement brand. Where we mention our own gummies, we say so.
Ginkgo biloba comes from one of the oldest tree species on Earth, and its leaf extract is one of the most studied botanicals ever sold. It is also a place where extract quality varies wildly. Here is how to tell the serious products from the leaf-dust.
Key takeaways
- Standardisation is the quality marker: research-grade ginkgo extract is typically standardised to 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones.
- Leaf extract, not ground leaf. The concentrations research explored do not exist in raw leaf powder.
- Ginkgo may interact with blood thinners and is not for pregnancy, which makes the pharmacist conversation genuinely important, especially with epilepsy or an operation coming up.
- No authorised UK health claims, so an honest label sticks to what is in the bottle.
From us: Healthier Options Ashwagandha & Lion's Mane Gummies carry 2,500mg KSM-66 ashwagandha, 1,000mg lion's mane and 1,000mg ginkgo biloba, an extract standardised for its natural flavonoids, plus magnesium, vitamin B6 and B12, in every two gummies. Vegan, £16.99 for 60 gummies (30 days), third-party lab tested.
Why ginkgo took off
Ginkgo trees predate the dinosaurs, and leaf preparations have a long history of traditional use, particularly in East Asia. Modern interest followed a standardised extract into hundreds of studies, and ginkgo settled into the UK market as a staple of focus-and-memory shelf space. We stay out of promising what it does; the buying rules below are about getting the genuine article.
What to look for on the label
1. The 24/6 standardisation
The extract used across most published work is standardised to roughly 24% flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones. Those two numbers on a label mean the manufacturer paid for real extract.
2. A dose you can make sense of
Studies typically used 120 to 240 mg a day of a refined extract made to a fixed specification for medicines. Other extracts use different amounts of leaf per gram, so a milligram figure on its own cannot tell you how one product compares with another. Look for what the extract is standardised for, and the ratio if one is printed.
3. Species honesty
Ginkgo biloba, leaf. Nothing else is ginkgo.
What to avoid
Memory-miracle marketing
UK rules permit no such claims for ginkgo. Brands making them are telling you how they operate.
Cheap leaf powder priced as extract
Ground leaf without standardisation percentages is a different product at a very different potency.
Silence about interactions
A responsible ginkgo label tells people on anticoagulants to speak to a pharmacist. Absence of that line is a brand cutting corners on care.
How Healthier Options fits in
Ginkgo is one third of the botanical stack in our Ashwagandha KSM-66 and Lion's Mane Gummies, at 1,000 mg per two gummies alongside 2,500 mg KSM-66 ashwagandha and 1,000 mg lion's mane, with B vitamins and magnesium carrying the approved claims: magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 contribute to normal psychological function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Stated dose in a formula where every active is printed.
- Mixed Berries flavour, two gummies a day, no capsules.
- Vegan, pectin-based, third-party lab tested.
Who should consider ginkgo?
- People drawn to long-tradition botanicals in properly standardised form
- Anyone building one simple daily supplement routine
- Buyers who prefer stacked formulas over five separate bottles
Who should check first
- Anyone on blood-thinning or antiplatelet medication, such as warfarin, clopidogrel or aspirin, before starting
- Anyone with epilepsy, or taking a medicine that can make seizures more likely, before starting
- Anyone scheduled for surgery, who should tell their surgical team: the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advises stopping ginkgo medicines 3 to 4 days before, and your team may ask you to stop earlier
- Anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18: do not take it. The EMA says ginkgo medicines must not be used in pregnancy
- Our Ashwagandha Gummies are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, or by under-18s or anyone allergic to mushrooms (they contain lion's mane), ginkgo or any other ingredient. With a thyroid, liver, heart or autoimmune condition, high androgen levels, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, epilepsy, a bleeding disorder, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including thyroid medication, sedatives and blood thinners, ask your GP or pharmacist first. More in our ginkgo biloba side effects guide
How long until you notice anything?
We make no promise that you will notice anything: ginkgo has no authorised health claims in the UK. Most ginkgo trials ran for months, mostly in older adults with memory problems, and none tested our gummies.
Common questions
Can I take ginkgo with coffee?
Ginkgo itself contains no caffeine. The interactions the European Medicines Agency names for ginkgo medicines include blood thinners such as warfarin, clopidogrel, aspirin and ibuprofen, plus dabigatran, nifedipine and efavirenz. If you take any of these, have epilepsy or have an operation coming up, speak to your doctor first. Ginkgo is not for pregnancy, breastfeeding or under-18s.
Extract or tea?
Standardised extract is the researched form. Teas are pleasant but not comparable in strength.
Why is ginkgo in your ashwagandha formula?
Ashwagandha comes from Ayurveda, lion's mane from East Asian cooking and ginkgo from Chinese tradition, and putting all three in one gummy, with magnesium and vitamins B6 and B12 and every amount printed on the bottle, is the whole idea of the product. Our Ashwagandha Gummies are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, or by under-18s or anyone allergic to mushrooms (they contain lion's mane), ginkgo or any other ingredient. With a thyroid, liver, heart or autoimmune condition, high androgen levels, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, epilepsy, a bleeding disorder, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including thyroid medication, sedatives and blood thinners, ask your GP or pharmacist first.
Read next
- Ginkgo Biloba and Focus: What the Research Shows
- Best Ashwagandha Gummies UK 2026
- Best Lion's Mane Supplements UK 2026
Last reviewed and updated November 2026. We refresh our articles every 90 days with the latest UK supplement-safety guidance, new internal links to related research, and any updates to dosing or ingredient evidence. This article is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your GP or pharmacist if you take regular medication.
