Ginkgo+biloba+(Jesse+G.)

=Cultural History of the Ginkgo Biloba=



//Ginkgo biloba, "Ross Moore," Weeping maidenhair tree, species native to China//

The Ginkgo biloba, known in Chinese and Japanese as 銀杏, is an endangered plant which was thought to be extinct in the wild. The plant can now be found in the Guizhou and Anhui regions of China. Interestingly, the weeping maidenhair tree is one of the best known examples of a living fossil (Darwin reference) and it has no other relatives. The Ginkgo is recognizable to Permian fossils dating back 270 million years (a.k.a. it is older than the dinos). Some of the actual trees have been discovered in China that are at least 3,000 years old. Ginkgo trees have slow reproduction rates, which helps with its longevity. It began by only growing on light soil and near rivers, until people began to acclimatize it to other conditions.
 * Historical Origins:**

The Ginkgo tree is the only living representative of the order Ginkgoales. During the Jurassic era, there were several members of the family at this time. There were only three species remaining 65 million years ago. It was believed that the extinction of dinosaurs could have influenced the decline of Ginkgo trees because they were seed dispersers. The Ginkgo disappeared from North America 7 million years ago and was gone from Europe 2.5 million years ago. It was thought that the Ginkgo was extinct until it was found in Japan in 1691 by Kampfer. It was spread by seed to China and has remained in places since.

Because of its importance, the Ginkgo is the national tree of China. It was many purposes, including culinary and medicinal uses. The Ginkgos hold up well against its urban environment (lack of soil and pollution); it doesn't have disease problems and is not attacked by insects. Therefore, it is used for their beauty and as shade trees, being found along the streets of China. From the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan, the ginkgo trees that were 1-2 km from the explosion were among the few living things to survive.
 * Cultural Significance:**

As far as culinary uses are concerned, the seeds from the Ginkgo trees are a traditional Chinese food, often served at weddings and Chinese New Years parties (as a part of a dish called Buddha's delight). They are also considered to have some aphrodisiac qualities. Make sure not to eat too many though (over 5 seeds a day) as they can be poisonous.

There are MANY medicinal uses to the Ginkgo tree. The leaves contain flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids which allow doctors to use them for memory enhancement, dementia, and even Alzheimer's trials. It can be used as an anti-vertigo agent. Ginkgo can significantly improve attention in healthy people. Other known medicinal uses include improvement in blood flow, protection against oxidative cell damage, and improvement in cognition and fatigue.

As mentioned in the section above, there are many culinary and medicinal uses for the Ginkgo plant. While it is not used for culinary reasons in the United States, the Ginkgo plant is one of the most popular medicinal herbs in the US. Some of the main reasons that people in the United States use the plant are to improve mental function, Alzheimer's disease, age-related memory loss, macular degeneration, sexual dysfunction, and to enhance blood circulation.
 * Importation or cultivation of the plant in the US:**

The Ginkgo was first introduced to the United States for medicinal purposes by Andre Michaux, a french botanist, in the late 18th century. Since then, its uses have expanded and it is found much more frequently (and much more accessible) in the United States. Because of its highly popular medicinal use, the Ginkgo plant is heavily found in the United States. A state park in Washington state is named the Ginkgo/Wanapum State Park.

The amount of content you can learn about China (and even now America) is amazing. Just by looking at the above information, you can see how vital the plant is to both China and to America. I am teaching about China in the spring and could definitely see myself introducing this plant and its importances to the country. Being the only place in the world to still have the plant growing in the wild, we can learn about how the seeds got to the area (through traveling, etc.) and that can even lead to how people got to China and who came and went. The Ginkgo tree is the national tree of China and it can withstand diseases or atomic bombs! We can learn about what a national tree means and why they would make that the tree. The culinary uses would be very interesting. We can talk about the traditions that the Chinese people experience, weddings and New Years parties. It would be interesting to have a discussion about how the seeds can be potential poisonous as well. The medicinal purposes of the plant is what makes it so important to both China and America (and other countries as well). We can talk about why America would want the plant and what it does/can do for people. The plant is obviously very important to China and we can learn about the history of China through the history of the plant!
 * What we can learn about culture from studying the plant:**

[|http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/history.htm] [] []
 * Sources:**