The clinical efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba in vertigo patients: A meta-analysis

Objective: We detected the clinical efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba in vertigo patients through a meta-analysis method. Method: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, EBSCO, CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were searched for randomized controlled trials. Data about the clinical efficacy and safety of vertigo patients were collected. The Ginkgo biloba groups were pooled to compare with the control groups and obtain the pooled odds ratios and associated 95 % confidence interval. Results: We retrieved 25 randomized controlled studies enrolling 1209 patients. The addition of Ginkgo biloba improved vertigo in patients with vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency, cervical vertigo, and not-specific-disease vertigo but not in BPPV and Meniere's disease. The incidence of adverse reactions such as headache, gastrointestinal discomfort, and skin rashes in the Ginkgo biloba group did not differ significantly from that of the control group. Conclusion: The addition of Ginkgo biloba had better clinical efficacy in patients with vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency, cervical vertigo, and not-specific-disease vertigo but not in BPPV and Meniere's disease, and the Ginkgo biloba group had no significant differences in adverse reactions compared with the control group.