ABSTRACT
In 1965 Dr. Willmar Schwabe Arzneimittel discovered that extracts from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba were effective for the treatment of peripheral and cerebral arterial disturbances of the blood supply especially in elderly patients. As a result they proceeded to develop a special multistage process producing a standardized extract. This product was designated the code name EGb 761. A first patent was granted for the extract in 1971 in Germany and 1972 in France (Dr Willmar Schwabe, 1971 and 1972). The process was specifically designed to enrich the main active ingredients of the extract known at this time i.e. the flavonol glycosides to 24% (see Chapter 9 “Chemical Constituents of Ginkgo biloba” by A.Hasler). A further patent was granted in 1989 (Dr Willmar Schwabe, 1989) that describes the enrichment of terpene trilactones to 6% and also the removal of undesirable components from the extract such as the ginkgolic acids which are known allergens.
