Safety and side effects

When taken by mouth in typical amounts, ginkgo seems to be safe for most healthy adults.

Ginkgo can cause:

• Headache.
• Low salt levels.
• Bleeding.
• Dizziness.
• The feeling of the heart pounding or racing, called palpitations.
• Upset stomach.
• Trouble passing stool, called constipation.
• Skin allergies.

Don't eat raw or roasted ginkgo seeds. They can poison you.

For people who have epilepsy or any type of seizure, large amounts of ginkgo may raise the risk of seizures.

If you are older, have a bleeding condition, or are pregnant, don't take ginkgo. The supplement might raise the risk of bleeding. If you're having surgery, stop taking ginkgo two weeks before the surgery.

Ginkgo might get in the way of managing diabetes. If you take ginkgo and have diabetes, closely watch your blood sugar levels.

Some research has shown that giving rodents ginkgo raises their risk of getting liver and thyroid cancers.