The leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree are known for their medicinal properties, which are primarily attributed to their antioxidant activity. In order to determine how the levels of antioxidants in Gingko leaves change over the course of a season, we adapted the Briggs-Rauscher oscillating reaction to analyze leaf extracts collected from late summer through the end of autumn. We correlated the delay of the onset of color oscillations to the amount of total antioxidant activity. Using this assay, the Ginkgo extracts were compared to a series of organic acids with known antioxidant activity: ascorbic, gallic, and tannic acid. The assays revealed that Ginkgo leaves have more antioxidants per gram than ascorbic and gallic acid, but less than tannic acid. By performing the above experimentation on the leaves collected from late summer to autumn, we were able to determine when the peak in antioxidant activity occurs for the Ginkgo biloba.

Quantitative investigation of the antioxidant levels present in senescing <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> leaves

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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Quantitative investigation of the antioxidant levels present in senescing Ginkgo biloba leaves