NOW Foods Ginkgo Biloba 120 mg Review

It refers to the 120 mg per-capsule dose — 'double' the older 60 mg-per-capsule ginkgo products, so you get the full clinical dose in a single capsule instead of two. It is NOT a stronger standardisation: the extract is still the standard 24% flavone glycosides / 6% terpene lactones spec. So 'Double Strength' is about dose convenience (one capsule = 120 mg), not a higher-concentration extract. That's a genuine plus — it puts you at the trial-standard 120 mg dose with one capsule a day.

It's a real, third-party-administered verification, which is more than most ginkgo bottles carry. The Non-GMO Project seal confirms the product meets that program's standards for avoiding genetically-modified inputs — it's an outside check, not just an in-house claim. For ginkgo it's not the most safety-critical marker (ginkgolic-acid content matters more for this herb, and a printed limit like Life Extension's <1 ppm is the gold standard there), but combined with NOW's transparent in-house QC lab it makes this one of the better-documented commodity ginkgos. It's a meaningful trust signal at a value price.

NOW runs unusually transparent in-house QC labs and publishes a lot about its testing — among the most open commodity brands in the industry. That said, in-house testing is the company checking its own product, which is not identical to an independent third-party certifier (NSF/USP) verifying it. NOW pairs that in-house rigor with the third-party Non-GMO Project seal, which is a good combination. For ginkgo, where almost nothing carries an NSF/USP seal, NOW's transparency is about as much documented quality as you'll realistically get at this price.

Two narrow reasons. First, value: Doctor's Best (#1) delivers the identical 24%/6% spec and 120 mg dose for roughly eleven cents a serving versus NOW's fifteen — same spec, a bit cheaper. Second, pedigree: Nature's Way Ginkgold (#2) uses a named, clinically-referenced branded extract. NOW loses nothing on quality or dose; it's simply edged on price-versus-spec and on extract provenance. For many buyers it's an equally valid #1 — the Non-GMO Project seal can easily justify the small premium over Doctor's Best.

It's a modest, real effect in the right population — not hype, but not magic. Standardised ginkgo improved cognition and function in people with dementia (Le Bars 1997 at 120 mg/day; Herrschaft 2012 at 240 mg/day) and pain-free walking distance in poor leg circulation (Pittler & Ernst 2000). But it does NOT prevent decline in healthy people: the six-year GEM Study (DeKosky 2008) found 240 mg/day no better than placebo. So NOW Ginkgo at the clinical dose is a sensible, low-cost symptomatic memory-and-circulation support to trial patiently — just don't expect a dramatic nootropic lift or a prevention benefit.

1. [1] Le Bars 1997 PMID 9343463 — A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia. 52-week RCT of standardised EGb 761 (120 mg/day) in dementia: modest cognitive/functional benefit vs placebo. The reference for the 120 mg dose NOW delivers.
2. [2] Herrschaft 2012 PMID 22459264 — Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in dementia with neuropsychiatric features: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial to confirm the efficacy and safety of a daily dose of 240 mg. 24-week RCT, 410 patients: 240 mg/day EGb 761 beat placebo on cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Confirms standardised ginkgo's symptomatic benefit at the upper dose end.
3. [3] DeKosky 2008 (GEM Study) PMID 19017911 — Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial. GEM Study: 3,069 older adults, ~6 years, 240 mg/day vs placebo — ginkgo did NOT prevent dementia. The honesty caveat for every ginkgo, this one included.