STANFORD, Calif.--Researchers from Stanford were awarded a $1 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the effects of Ginkgo biloba on leg discomfort caused by peripheral artery disease. Currently, 72 volunteers are being sought for the study, which begins later this month.

During the four-month, placebo-controlled trial, John Farquhar, M.D., professor of medicine emeritus, and Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., assistant research professor of medicine, will investigate gingko's benefits on peripheral artery disease and its effects when combined with aspirin at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention (prevention.stanford.edu).

"Many with peripheral artery disease are surprisingly unaware of the impairment of their arteries," said Gardner, adding that one-quarter of those people suffering from the condition have pain when walking. Approximately 14 percent of Americans over age 50 are affected by peripheral artery disease, which has a predilection for smokers and people with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Later stages of the condition may bring about stroke caused by blood clots. "The main goal of this study is to find out if people who take ginkgo will be able to increase the distance they are able to walk free of pain or discomfort," Gardner said.

Volunteers can participate in the study if they are able to walk for at least one minute but no longer than 12 minutes before leg pain becomes debilitating. However, those who do make the 12-minute mark yet have peripheral artery disease can volunteer for another arm of the study, in which Gardner and his colleagues are comparing the effects of ginkgo when combined with aspirin in a one-month, 60-person trial.

Those who are interested in learning more or participating in the study can contact the study's coordinator, Joel Nicholus, at (650) 723-7022.