This ancient Chinese herb is an extract made from the leaf of the Ginkgo tree. It is the most well-documented plant extract used to support brain function – there are more than 1,000 studies of Ginkgo Biloba from all over the world. The consensus is that Ginkgo does help many people improve a variety of brain functions. It has been shown to minimize age-related memory problems (affecting learning, short-term memory, and recall), concentration problems, and absentmindedness. It may also help ease dizziness and vertigo, which often accompany forgetfulness, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). A 1995 study found that high doses of Ginkgo helped Alzheimer’s patients as well. Another very rigorous study published in 1997 in the Journal of the American Medical Association duplicated these results: Patients who took Ginkgo for one month enjoyed improved memory and attention span; this improvement was even more noticeable when patients took the herb for three months. However, many experts believe its more significant contribution may be as a preventer of cognitive decline than as a treatment. Ginkgo is very popular in Germany and France, where more than 10 million prescriptions are written every year; in the United States it is available without a prescription.

Ginkgo seems to accomplish its many miracles in several ways. In the first place, it increases the circulation of blood to the brain, which improves the supply of oxygen, nutrients, and glucose. This enables neurons to create the energy and other chemical reactions you need to think and remember. It also boosts circulation to the inner ear, thus explaining its power to help heal tinnitus and dizziness, a malfunction of the nerves in the ear. In the second place, Ginkgo protects against free-radical damage and reduces inflammation. This further improves circulation by keeping your cardiovascular system in shape, and also protects the nerve cells themselves.

It is recommended that you take an extract standardized to 24 percent flavoneglycosides and 6 percent terpenelactones, or capsules of the dried herb. For prevention take 40 mg of standardized extract, or 120 mg of capsules daily, in divided doses. You may take up to three times this dose if you have mild to moderate symptoms. Some people notice an improvement within two to three weeks of beginning treatment, but, in most cases, you need to take Ginkgo for at least three months before you enjoy the full benefits.

Gingko biloba is essentially devoid of any serious side effects. Some people have reported mild headaches for a day or two when starting the herb, and some people have reported mild stomach upset. Do not take Ginkgo if you are on a blood-thinning medication, including aspirin or ibuprofen, because Ginkgo can add to the blood-thinning effect. For the same reason, avoid taking Ginkgo for two weeks prior to any surgery, including oral surgery.

I was rummaging through a bunch of quotes all at the same time when this brilliant thought came to me that there are good ideas inside of ideas that we often miss for one reason or another. It might be we are focused only on one thing and we can’t see the others or, more bothersome than that we might be oblivious to ideas altogether, because of selfishness which I hope is not your plight. “What a fantastic idea”, I thought to myself as I began experimenting with my new notion. “This makes for a great economy of ideas since we never have to go too far without finding another closely linked great idea”. When you are in the business of writing compositions everyday, than economy of ides are useful as they lead us to a “goldmine” of ideas which I am always in need of for my own given type of writing.

For example I though about Helen Keller’s quote for today, “Ideas without action are worthless.” From that my mind was instantly transported to anther time and place and idea that was expressed by another famous person Paul of Tarsus the persecutor of Roman Christians who changed his life and became one himself who later said, “Faith without works is dead”. Another idea that swiftly came and went was the saying, “Don’t worry about what to give, it is the thought that counts.”

Now there I was stuck with these three ideas all separate in origin but all springing from the same source. After long and hard thought on these three ideas I saw them as separate subjects and useful for separate editorials; but my mind kept whispering no, there is a central theme here that should not be missed, and one useful for the holidays that are now upon us. It is buried in the idea that: “it is the thought that counts, and not what we give” if anything at all. If this is true than how is it simultaneously true that “ideas without action are worthless?” I came to the conclusion that the proverbial inherited idea that “it’s the thought that counts” is simply untrue. It has been accepted as a traditional excuse for probably hundreds of years but in the heart of hearts if “it’s the thought that always counts” than it is a thought that is measured by what we give indeed that counts. Because it does matter to us what we are given. Don’t say it doesn’t matter because you know it does. You may not want to say so but it does.

I don’t mean that we as receivers should be ungrateful at the thing that was given us by let’s say a poor person, but what I am saying is more thought should have been taken before we gave a gift to someone in the first place. When a gift is truly from the heart it is known for sure, it is well done because there is certain significance and a statement is made with the gift we give.

The gift does not need to be “much” in a monetary sense, but it needs to mean something to the receiver. For example, I might have shared a romantic moment with q girl under an apple tree. An apple may have been picked, or initials carved in the apple tree, and thus the apple was chosen as a gift. To the receiver that simple token meant everything in the world once it was received, but in a monetary sense it was pennies and may have seemed unimpressive to some onlookers. The expression of this given gift goes far deeper into the heart than any magnificent other gift might do.

This illustrates so immensely the idea that this is what is meant by “It’s the thought that counts”. I have seen many give token gifts to others that had no special meaning and the gift goes un-noticed and un-appreciated and put in the pile of others gifts given on that child’s birthday or Christmas. You have seen it too. This season make it a point to give something if you can. It does not need to be a lot. In fact if you can’t afford it and you are going into debt to buy it than that is wrong in a lot of other ways which we can discuss in our debtors column.

This Christmas buy what you can afford. Get a gift that has a lot of thought put into it. It does not need to cost you much. Your action speaks louder than words when you give a gift from the heart. Your faith with these kinds of works are not dead. Your actions, because they come from great ideas are worth much more than money can buy.

As a child I was taught the age-old wisdom, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Once I entered public schools, being the overly-sensitive child which I was, I had to quickly learn the defensive protection of “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Truth be told, however, many of my less-sensitive schoolmates’ words did hurt–I just learned to act as if they didn’t. Thus, I began to wear a mask and keep my feelings inside, except of course when they seeped through the corners of my eyes. Of course, there were times when I allowed my feelings on the outside in the comfort zone of friends or family.

As an adolescent I began the marvelous process of thinking for myself–trying to make sense of the world in which I was living, idealizing and philosophizing–thinking I knew it all, wondering why there were so many problems in the world which had seemingly simple solutions!. And I, like many teens, when their offerings of idealism are discredited and ignored by much smarter, more experienced “adults,” cloaked myself in rebellion and silence and indifference. When my feelings were challenged, I often built a soap box from which to broadcast my views. Those who liked what I said became friends. Those who didn’t became enemies. But in times of crisis–when my lack of experience over-rode my confidence–I learned that without a doubt, “blood was thick than water” and so, even those lines of distinction (friend vs. foe) faded at times.

Then love entered my life and the world became a wonderful place again! How hopeful it was to find my once-lost and nearly-forgotten rose-colored glasses! So nice to have at least one special person with whom to express my deep feelings: Joy! Love! Faith! Ah! But I was in for a rude awakening as time taught me that nobody is perfect! Glasses off, mask back on! I carried both at my side for many years in my early adulthood. I became an expert on analyzing, trusting/not trusting, judging, acting/being real. The world calls it social skills and personal relationship skills. I saw it as simply survival techniques. I was an army of one.

The world was a lonely place though. I felt no one knew the real me. I became bitter and angry now that I saw life for what it really was–a struggle. Feeling betrayed–all this and then you die? Nice! Very, very nice! The answer? Religion! A plan! A system! You do this and here’s your reward! Okay, I reasoned, something’s better than nothing! So I bought off on that in my desperation for life needing to have meaning and purpose. Even religion let me down, but having hit nearer the mark with it than without it, I learned to “bite my tongue,” “bear my sorrows,” and “take it to the Lord in prayer.”

Push came to shove and I found myself in the therapist’s office. She taught me, “It’s not what you’re saying, it’s how you are saying it.” She was right, of course. That truth went all the way back to childhood, “If you can’t say something nice…” and on through the, “Sticks and stones…” through the mask-wearing of adolescence–the art of the lonely, to soapboxes, which should be left to derbies not enemy-making, and finally bursting through the guise of so much error in organized religion.

All that understanding and now the remaining challenge–getting to the How. How to say what I have to say without hurting. That’s definitely upperclassman’s work, higher education. Seeking a master’s degree, if you will. Expertise, not born of knowledge, but rather, of wisdom. New mentors arrived for this student of life. Messengers touting principles such as, Speak your truth, but soothe your words with peace.” This new quest demanded honoring my individuality, but also retaining respect for unity. It demanded not an abandonment of my past traditions, learning and understanding, but an expansion and a clarification and filtering…retaining the truths and gently discarding those teachings and doctrines which no longer served.

All masters, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, et. al. invite and instruct to follow their examples to embrace our own glory, to find out who we really are, to end our own suffering, as well as our infliction of suffering upon others. They all turn us to ourselves, to probe more deeply, to find peace, to find fulfillment , to know wisdom. Their lives are the example, their words are their instruction. And I am finding that this master’s program of life has the potential to encompass all the recognizable truths of my life. Knowing when to speak. Knowing how to speak. Distinguishing hyperbole from pearls of wisdom. Honoring self and oneness. Discarding masks and soap boxes in exchange for transparency and mountaintops.

Gift giving. Your Expertise and Wisdom…now those are gifts that are larger than life, wealth untold and immeasurable. And yet, they fit in such a small package that they are found only inside a pure heart and a clear mind. They are the gift of a master. Each one of us is master of his/her life. The experiences we have, the truths we hold–those are our own gifts to have and to share with those around us. Every life is immeasurably invaluable! It has cost a lifetime to know what you know, to do what you have done. Expressing your wisdom, telling your life story–leaving your legacy for those you love…now, that’s a true gift-giving from the heart!