Bai Guo

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Pinyin Name: Bai Guo

English Name: Semen Ginkgo Bilobae

Other Names: Ginkgo Biloba, Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree

Tastes: Bitter, Sweet, Astringent

Origin: Guangxi, Sichuan and Henan provinces in China

Benefits of Bai Guo:

The seeds of ginkgo tree (Bai Guo) are traditionally used in Chinese medicine for coughing and combating aging. It is also an excellent herbal supplement and antioxidant, which contains rich ingredients like crude protein, crude fat, reducing sugar, nucleoprotein, minerals, crude fiber and multivitamins. Every 100 g of fresh ginkgo nuts contains 13.2 g protein, 72.6 g carbohydrate, 1.3 g fat, vitamin C, riboflavin and carotenoids. In addition, ginkgo leaf and kernel have flavonoid glycosides and ginkgolides, which improve circulation to the coronary artery and the brain, fight against aging, sharpen memory and improve symptom management for Alzheimer’s disease.

Common uses of Bai Guo are asthma, cough with abundance of phlegm, vaginal discharge, cloudy urine, spermatorrhea, frequency of urination, swelling due to unknown toxin, acne rosacea, psoriasis. Regular dosage is 6 to 10 grams, or 5 to 10 pieces.

Soup and porridge are two popular forms to consume as they are easy to make. Recipe of this herbal cuisine consists of 5 ginkgo nuts and 100 g rice. The preparing process is quite straightforward, clean the nuts with water, peel and take the kernel, place them into pot along with rice, add appropriate water, boil them for about 25 to 30 minutes, and serve when it is ready.

Common herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine

Quick knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine perspectives