| Abstract: | The ginkgolides are along with bilobalide and some flavonoids the most important active agents of the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba). They derive from the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway, and are established by cyclisation of geranylgeranyl diphosphate, oxidative functionalization and scaffold rearrangements. Elias J. Corey and Michael T. Crimmins published prominent total syntheses of ginkgolide B. In the 1950s, Willmar Schwabe III developed an extract of the dried leaves, which is rich in ginkgolides, bilobalide and flavonoids. It is used for the symptomatic treatment of memory disorders, absent‐mindedness, dizziness, tinnitus and dementia. |
