Patient's question:
I am a glaucoma patient and currently taking ginkgo leaves along with antihypertensive eye drops. I am also unaware if ginkgo leaves can be taken long-term. What effect do they have on glaucoma? In June of this year, I was treated at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, where the doctor prescribed: travoprost eye drops and ginkgo leaves.What kind of help I need: Can glaucoma patients eat ginkgo leaves?
Doctor's answer:
Ginkgo leaves can soften blood vessels, providing health benefits for both the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems. They do not have a direct effect on lowering blood sugar. Diabetic patients can use ginkgo leaves as a supportive medication for maintaining cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health, but they should not be used as a direct blood sugar-lowering medication. Extracts of ginkgo leaves do have a certain effect on lowering blood sugar, but roadside-picked ginkgo leaves cannot produce these effects unless they have been properly processed. I hope the answer to the question "Can people with glaucoma eat ginkgo leaves?" above can help you. Thank you.