Compositional guidelines are intended to provide clarity to the specific form or type of substances that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approves for use in listed medicines, as either an active substance or an excipient, where there is no standard in the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) or other acceptable monographs. Continue reading →

2 October 2009

Ginkgo biloba (the Maidenhair tree) is a deciduous tree native to China, Korea and Japan. Ginkgo leaves and seeds have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine for a range of conditions. Ginkgo is one of the most widely used herbal medicines in Europe and the United States of America.

There are currently more than 400 products that contain Ginkgo on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). These are listed medicines and are commonly indicated for stimulating blood circulation.

The TGA has recently conducted testing on twenty-two (22) batches of medicines, covering twenty (20) products, and a number of associated Ginkgo extract raw materials. The testing focused on determining the quality of the Ginkgo extract used in the formulation of the medicines. Continue reading →