Leaf extract is commonly used as a dietary supplement, but there is insufficient clinical evidence that it supports human health or is effective against any disease.

A combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood, and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes ginkgos durable, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old.

[11] The leaves are unique among seed plants, being fan-shaped with veins radiating out into the leaf blade, sometimes bifurcating (splitting), but never anastomosing to form a network.

The species shows a preference for disturbed sites; in the "semiwild" stands at Tianmu Mountains, many specimens are found along stream banks, rocky slopes, and cliff edges.

It is capable of sprouting from embedded buds near the base of the trunk (lignotubers, or basal chichi) in response to disturbances, such as soil erosion.

[20] Male plants produce small pollen cones with sporophylls, each bearing two microsporangia spirally arranged around a central axis.

[21] This phenomenon is difficult to research because of its rarity as well as the practice of grafting female branches onto otherwise male trees that was common in 19th century Europe.

[28] The sperm have a complex multi-layered structure, which is a continuous belt of basal bodies that form the base of several thousand flagella which have a cilia-like motion.

[33] Extracts of ginkgo leaves contain phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, flavonoid glycosides, such as myricetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and quercetin, and the terpene trilactones ginkgolides and bilobalides.

Carl Linnaeus described the species in 1771, the specific epithet biloba derived from the Latin bis, "twice" and loba, "lobed", referring to the shape of the leaves.

[36] Two names for the species recognise the botanist Richard Salisbury, a placement by Nelson as Pterophyllus salisburiensis and the earlier Salisburia adiantifolia proposed by James Edward Smith.

Engelbert Kaempfer, the first Westerner to investigate the species in 1690, wrote down this pronunciation in the notes that he later used for the Amoenitates Exoticae (1712) with the "awkward" spelling "ginkgo".

[38] This appears to be a simple error of Kaempfer; taking his spelling of other Japanese words containing the syllable "kyō" into account, a more precise romanization following his writing habits would have been "ginkio" or "ginkjo".

Given the slow pace of evolution and morphological similarity between members of the genus, there may have been only one or two species existing in the Northern Hemisphere through the entirety of the Cenozoic: present-day G. biloba (including G. adiantoides) and G. gardneri from the Paleocene of Scotland.

[50][51] While it may seem improbable that a single species may exist as a contiguous entity for many millions of years, many of the ginkgo's life-history parameters fit: Extreme longevity; slow reproduction rate; (in Cenozoic and later times) a wide, apparently contiguous, but steadily contracting distribution; and (as far as can be demonstrated from the fossil record) extreme ecological conservatism (restriction to disturbed streamside environments).

[19]: 91 Given the slow rate of evolution of the genus, Ginkgo possibly represents a pre-angiosperm strategy for survival in disturbed streamside environments.

Ginkgo evolved in an era before flowering plants, when ferns, cycads, and cycadeoids dominated disturbed streamside environments, forming low, open, shrubby canopies.

Ginkgo's large seeds and habit of "bolting" – growing to a height of 10 meters before elongating its side branches – may be adaptations to such an environment.

[58] Where it occurs in the wild, Ginkgo is found infrequently in deciduous forests and valleys on acidic loess (i.e. fine, silty soil) with good drainage.

Extreme examples of the ginkgo's tenacity may be seen in Hiroshima, Japan, where six trees growing between 1 and 2 kilometres (1⁄2 and 1+1⁄4 miles) from the 1945 atom bomb explosion were among the few living organisms in the area to survive the blast.

[72] At the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū's shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, an ancient ginkgo tree stands beside the stone entry staircase.

[77][78] A heat-stable compound not destroyed by cooking, MPN may cause convulsions, which were alleviated by treatment with pyridoxine phosphate (vitamin B6), according to limited studies.

[81] Side effects of using ginkgo supplements may include increased risk of bleeding, gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, and restlessness.

[8][9] Although use of standardized Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts in moderate amounts appears to be safe,[8] excessive use may have undesirable effects, especially in terms of drug interactions.

[8][9] According to a systemic review, the effects of ginkgo on pregnant women may include increased bleeding time, and there is inadequate information about safety during lactation.

[9] The level of these allergens in standardized pharmaceutical preparations from Ginkgo biloba was restricted to 5 ppm by the Commission E of the former Federal German Health Authority.

Ginkgo nuts are used in congee, and are often served at special occasions such as weddings and the Chinese New Year (as part of the vegetarian dish called Buddha's delight).

[88] Although extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaf are often marketed as cognitive enhancers, there is no evidence for effects on memory or attention in healthy people.

[8][89] Systematic reviews have shown there is no evidence for effectiveness of ginkgo in treating high blood pressure,[90] menopause-related cognitive decline,[91] tinnitus,[92][93] post-stroke recovery,[94] or altitude sickness.

[104] In professional sumo, wrestlers ranked in the two highest divisions (jūryō and makuuchi) wear an elaborate topknot called ōichōmage (大銀杏髷, lit.