Ginkgo Biloba Extract may help treat vitiligo

Several natural health products havebeen investigated for treating the pigmentation disorder vitiligo,but overall, the quality of the research is poor, the authors of anew review conclude.  Of the products reviewed, only Ginkgo Biloba Extract taken orally and theamino acid L-phenylalanine, administered along with light exposure,showed promise, the researchers found.

"The need to find a safe and effective treatment is particularlyimportant with vitiligo, where up to 50% of cases develop in thepediatric population; at a time when the condition has the greatestimpact on psychological development," Drs. Orest Szczurko andHeather S. Boon of the University of Toronto report in the BioMedCentral journal Dermatology.

Vitiligo occurs when cells that produce the pigment melanin stopfunctioning, leaving white patches on the skin. Up to 4 percent ofcertain ethnic groups have vitiligo, note the researchers, while asmany as 35 percent of vitiligo patients have psychiatric problemsrelated to the condition, including depression, anxiety andsuicidal thoughts.

Three recent reviews of conventional therapies for vitiligo haveconcluded that topical steroids may be helpful, while treatmentwith ultraviolet A or ultraviolet B (UVA or UVB) light alone oralong with medications known as psoralens or calcipotriol may alsobe effective, Szczurko and Boon add. However, the researchers note,both therapies can have problematic side effects.

To investigate the effectiveness and safety of natural products fortreating vitiligo, Szczurko and Boon undertook a systematic reviewof all published research, identifying 15 controlled trials.
Three of the trials looked at L-phenylalanine with UVA or UVBtherapy, and one looked at L-phenylalanine in combination withother drugs. While all these trials showed benefits, the authorssay, each had problems including high numbers of dropouts and thelack of a control group.

Three trials looked at Chinese herbs for vitiligo, but all were of"poor methodological quality," the researchers say.
Six investigated plant products alone or with phototherapy, with"moderate" evidence for the benefit of Gingko biloba and only weakevidence for other plant products.