Fall's Ginkgo

Prepping my Ginkgo tincture

I love fall, and the beautiful abundance all around me is humbling.  The changing of seasons means not only beautiful colors, but also so many opportunities to forge for beautifully powerful plants and herbs, that are willing to stand by us through the seasons ahead!  It is amazing how many plants are all around us, just waiting for us to look a little closer, take a little more time, and see.

I have the privilege to work a couple days a week at one of our towns historical mansions.  The house itself was built in 1887, and many of the trees on the property were planted around that same time.  I often snip fresh bay leaves from the new growth shoots on the beautiful Bay Laurel, and now that it's fall,  the time was right to collect a bag of leaves off of the 130 year old Ginkgo tree.

The truth is that I love collecting leaves in fall, regardless of their medicinal quality! So taking a moment and enjoying a sunny, brisk morning collecting dainty yellow leaves and hanging out under this wise old tree would have been reward enough for me.  But Ginkgo takes it's gift even farther.  Ginkgo is known for its ability to sharpen mental focus and enhance memory.  Brain food! yay!

Here are a few things that Herbarium's monograph for ginkgo has to say:


Ginkgo is well-suited for persons facing circulatory deficiency as well as hypertension. Herbalist Kevin Spelman (2010) suggests its use for those who are “walking heart attacks,” as well as students and others in need of sharpening their cognitive focus, including those affected by dementia.

In western herbalism, ginkgo is seen as having an affinity for the head, brain, and the circulatory system; the standardized extract in particular shows antioxidant actions in the brain, retina of the eye, and the cardiovascular system (Mills and Bone, 2000).

So, I am publicly thanking this beautiful old tree, for bringing beautiful fall foliage to brighten my day! And, when fall colors are just a memory, we will still be thanking you, as we take this tincture and continue to enjoy the gifts from the ginkgo.