Making ginkgo tea is straightforward: steep dried ginkgo leaves in boiling water for 5 to 15 minutes, using about 2.5 grams of leaf per cup. The real craft is in sourcing or preparing the leaves properly, since fresh ginkgo leaves need careful drying to preserve their beneficial compounds. Here’s everything you need to know, from leaf to cup.
Choosing and Sourcing Ginkgo Leaves
You have two options: buying pre-dried ginkgo leaves or harvesting them yourself. Pre-dried leaves from a reputable herbal supplier are the easiest route and give you a consistent product. Look for whole dried leaves rather than powder, which lets you control the strength of your brew more easily.
If you have access to a ginkgo tree, the best time to harvest is in early to mid-fall, just as the leaves begin transitioning from green to yellow. This timing captures the widest range of active compounds. Pure green leaves (harvested in late summer) are higher in certain protective terpenes, while fully yellow leaves have more flavonoids. Leaves that are just starting to turn give you a balance of both. Once the leaves have fallen to the ground and dried out naturally, they’ve lost much of their value.
Drying Fresh Leaves at Home
If you’re working with fresh leaves, proper drying makes a significant difference. A brief steam before drying deactivates enzymes in the leaf that would otherwise break down the active ingredients. In commercial processing, freshly washed leaves are steamed at about 95 to 98°C (around 200°F) for just 3 to 60 seconds. Ginkgo leaves are thinner than tea leaves, so they need less time. Over-steaming turns them yellow and degrades the compounds you’re trying to preserve.
After steaming, let the leaves cool to room temperature. Then dry them in a warm, well-ventilated area. If you’re using a food dehydrator, start at a higher setting (around 100°C) while the leaves are still very wet, then reduce to about 60°C once they’re no longer sticking together. The leaves are done when they feel papery and crisp, crumbling easily between your fingers. If you don’t have a dehydrator, spreading the steamed leaves on a wire rack in a warm room with good airflow works, though it takes longer. Avoid direct sunlight, which can degrade the flavonoids.
Store dried leaves in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. They’ll keep for several months this way.
Brewing the Tea
For a single cup, use about 2.5 grams of dried ginkgo leaf (roughly a heaping teaspoon of crumbled leaf) per 250 mL (about 8 ounces) of water. Bring the water to a full boil and pour it directly over the leaves.
Steeping time shapes both flavor and potency. A 5-minute steep produces a lighter, milder cup. Extending to 10 or 15 minutes draws out more of the antioxidant compounds. Research on ginkgo infusions tested steeping times from 5 minutes up to 60 minutes and found that antioxidant activity increased with longer brewing, though the returns diminish after about 15 to 20 minutes and the taste becomes more bitter. For most people, 10 minutes is a good starting point.
If you want a stronger cup, it’s better to increase the amount of leaf rather than steeping for much longer. Using 5 grams per cup produces a noticeably more concentrated infusion. Strain the leaves out when your steeping time is up.
Improving the Flavor
Ginkgo tea on its own has a mild, slightly grassy, and faintly bitter taste. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s not bold either. Many people find it benefits from pairing with other ingredients. Honey is the simplest addition and rounds out the bitterness nicely. Fresh ginger slices added during steeping give the tea warmth and a bit of spice. A squeeze of lemon or orange peel brightens the cup.
Ginkgo also blends well with other herbs. Mint (either spearmint or peppermint) is a popular combination, creating a smooth, balanced drink. Chamomile and ginkgo together make a calming blend. Lavender in small amounts adds floral depth without overpowering the ginkgo’s subtle character.
What Ginkgo Tea Does in the Body
Ginkgo leaves contain dozens of flavonoid compounds, with the most prominent being quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. These act as antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals that damage cells and DNA. The leaves also contain unique terpene compounds not found in any other plant, which support blood circulation by helping blood flow more freely.
Together, these compounds work through several pathways: reducing oxidative stress on tissues and organs, calming inflammatory responses, supporting immune function, and improving circulation to help deliver nutrients and clear waste from tissues. Standardized ginkgo extracts have been studied extensively for cognitive support and cardiovascular health, with clinical trials using doses of 120 to 240 mg of extract daily.
Tea vs. Supplements
It’s worth knowing that home-brewed ginkgo tea is considerably less concentrated than standardized ginkgo supplements. Analysis of ginkgo beverages made from whole leaves found that the proportion of key flavonoid compounds came in at roughly 8.5 to 14.4%, well below the 24% minimum in pharmaceutical-grade extracts. The terpene content was even lower, around 0.6% compared to the 6% standard. This doesn’t mean ginkgo tea has no benefit. It means the effects are gentler and more gradual than what’s reported in clinical trials using concentrated extracts. Think of it as a mild daily tonic rather than a therapeutic dose.
Safety Considerations
Ginkgo tea made from leaves is generally safe for most adults. One concern sometimes raised is ginkgotoxin, a compound that can interfere with vitamin B6 activity in large amounts. However, ginkgotoxin is concentrated in ginkgo seeds (about 59 parts per million), while commercial leaf preparations contain levels below the detection threshold of 9 ppm. Leaf tea poses minimal risk on this front.
The more practical safety concern involves blood thinning. Ginkgo’s ability to improve circulation also means it can amplify the effects of medications that reduce clotting. If you take blood thinners like aspirin, clopidogrel, or prescription anticoagulants, ginkgo tea could increase your risk of bleeding. The same applies to common anti-inflammatory painkillers like celecoxib and meloxicam. Even acid reflux medications like omeprazole have shown interactions.
Avoid ginkgo tea if you’re pregnant, have a known bleeding disorder, or have epilepsy (large amounts may lower the seizure threshold). If you have surgery scheduled, stop drinking it at least two weeks beforehand to let its blood-thinning effects clear your system. Large clinical trials using standardized extracts at 240 mg daily for up to six years found no more side effects than a placebo in otherwise healthy adults, so moderate tea consumption falls well within a safe range for people without these specific risk factors.