The Study
Ginkgo biloba Extract EGb 761® in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus: Treatment Effects and Effect Modifiers
This study watched what happened when people took a herbal pill for tinnitus, but didn't compare them to people who didn't take it. So we can't be sure the pill actually helped — maybe people just felt better because they expected it to work, or their tinnitus got quieter on its own.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave 170 people with long-term ear ringing a daily pill made from ginkgo leaves for 6 months to see if it helped.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 562 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1For most people, the pill didn't help much — only a small group saw real improvement, and only if they had normal hearing or high stress/anxiety.
- 2About 1 in 5 people (18.8%) felt much better.
- 3Those with normal hearing or high stress/anxiety were 2.6 to 4.4 times more likely to improve.
- 4Depression didn't affect results.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Year
2025
Authors
Grażyna Lisowska, I. Urban, P. Skarżyński, S. Schlaefke, P. Brueggemann, B. Mazurek
Related Content
Claims (10)
Adults with chronic tinnitus and higher anxiety levels at the start of treatment are more likely to experience a meaningful improvement after taking Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® than those with lower anxiety levels.
Among adults with chronic tinnitus, the level of depression at the start of treatment does not change how much their tinnitus symptoms improve after 24 weeks of taking Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761®.
In adults with chronic tinnitus, 18.8% of those who took Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® for 24 weeks showed at least a 30% improvement in three of four measured tinnitus symptoms.
Adults with chronic tinnitus who have high baseline stress levels show greater reductions in tinnitus loudness and annoyance after 24 weeks of taking Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® compared to those with lower stress levels.
Adults with chronic tinnitus and normal hearing are 4.4 times more likely than those with hearing loss to show a significant improvement in tinnitus symptoms after taking 240 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract daily for 24 weeks.
Among adults with chronic tinnitus, having a depression score of 8 or higher on the HADS scale does not change the likelihood of experiencing a meaningful improvement in symptoms after taking 240 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract daily for 24 weeks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.