Regular use of the herb ginkgo biloba may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by up to 67%, according to US researchers. They studied both human epidemiological and laboratory data. Among a group of 721 controls and 668 ovarian cancer patients, 4.2% of the controls compared to 1.6% of the cases regularly used ginkgo biloba. The researchers also found that regular use of ginkgo was associated with a 59% reduced risk of ovarian cancer , and in case of non-mucinous types of ovarian cancer, the risk reduction rose to 67%.
In the lab, the researchers tested ginkgo extract and its components (quercetin and ginkgolide A and B) against cancer cells and discovered "significant anti-proliferative effects (approximately 40%) in serous ovarian cancer cells."
They concluded that the data "provide supportive evidence for further studies of the chemopreventive or therapeutic effects of ginkgo and ginkgolides on ovarian cancer."
Source: Cancer Lett., 2006 Dec 26