Golden Autumn Leaves
Harvested after the leaves naturally turn golden rather than at the conventional green stage.
Beljanski® ingredient
Golden Leaf Ginkgo Biloba
Why Does Beljanski® Wait for the Leaves to Turn Gold?
Most Ginkgo extracts are made from green Ginkgo biloba leaves.
The Beljanski® extract is different.
It is made from leaves harvested after they naturally turn golden yellow in autumn.
Mirko Beljanski deliberately chose this later stage of the leaf decades ago. Today, independent research confirms something important: as Ginkgo leaves mature and turn yellow, their phytochemical composition changes.
Same tree. Different season. Distinctive extract.
Maison Beljanski’s Golden Leaf Ginkgo biloba leaf extract is the botanical in Ginkgo V® and an ingredient in selected Beljanskin® skincare.
leaf stage
- Made from golden autumn leaves, not green ones
- Same species: Ginkgo biloba L.
- Research history dating to 1994
- Supplied for peer-reviewed university research in 2023
Independent research
What Happens When Ginkgo Turns Gold?
The Change Is More Than Color
Independent researchers have repeatedly found measurable changes in Ginkgo leaves as they mature from green to yellow.
Green leaf · spring to summerGolden leaf · autumn
2012
Different Colors
Researchers analyzing fresh Ginkgo leaves of different colors found significant differences in their measured flavonoid content.
View the study 2021Natural Senescence
Researchers comparing green and naturally senescent yellow leaves found differences in their chemical constituents, including terpene trilactones.
View the study 2024Across the Season
Researchers followed Ginkgo leaves through seven stages from May to November and documented substantial seasonal changes in pigments, polyphenols, flavonoids and biflavonoids.
View the study 2025Yellow Leaves in Their Own Right
Researchers specifically investigated autumn yellow Ginkgo leaves as a source of naturally occurring bioflavonoids.
View the studySame tree. Different season. Different phytochemical profile.
Mirko Beljanski Chose the Golden Leaf Decades Earlier
He Was Looking for a Different Biological Activity
Mirko Beljanski’s interest in Ginkgo was very different from the conventional green-leaf Ginkgo story.
He developed an extract specifically from golden-yellow autumn leaves and investigated its interaction with enzymes called ribonucleases, or RNases.
In a 1994 published study, researchers examined Golden Leaf Ginkgo in irradiated human skin extracts exhibiting excessive RNase activity.
Under the experimental conditions studied, the Golden Leaf Ginkgo preparation largely normalized the excessive RNase activity while not affecting normal human plasma RNase activity.
Causse E, Nawrocki T, Beljanski M. Human Skin Fibrosis RNase: Search for a Biological Inhibitor-Regulator. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Onkologie. 1994;26(5):137–139. Read the paper (PDF)
Continuity
A Research Story Spanning Nearly 30 Years
-
1994RNases
Mirko Beljanski and colleagues investigate Golden Leaf Ginkgo in relation to excessive RNase activity.
-
2023Angiogenin
Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center investigate the Golden Leaf Ginkgo Extract supplied by Maison Beljanski.
Nearly three decades later, researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center investigated the specific Ginkgo biloba Golden Leaf Extract (GGLE) supplied by Maison Beljanski.
Their peer-reviewed research returned to the question of RNases — this time focusing on angiogenin, an RNase involved in angiogenesis.
The study reported effects on angiogenin synthesis and secretion, melanoma-cell invasion and angiogenesis under the experimental conditions studied.
Importantly, the published paper explicitly identifies Maison Beljanski, formerly Natural Source International, as the supplier of the Golden Leaf Ginkgo Extract used in the research.
Same Golden Leaf concept. A new generation of research.
The 2023 findings are laboratory findings and do not establish clinical benefit in humans.
Chen P, Wang T, Chen Q. Ginkgo biloba Golden Leaf Extract (GGLE) Inhibits Melanoma Cell Invasion and Angiogenesis Through Inhibition of Angiogenin. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2023;22. doi: 10.1177/15347354221134513
The Beljanski® preparation
What Makes Beljanski® Golden Leaf Ginkgo Different?
Distinctive Phytochemical Profile
Independent research shows that Ginkgo chemistry changes as the leaves mature through the season.
A Research History Dating to 1994
Mirko Beljanski investigated the Golden Leaf preparation in relation to RNase activity.
Still Used in Research Today
The Maison Beljanski Golden Leaf Ginkgo Extract was supplied for peer-reviewed university research published in 2023.
Beljanski® products
Find Golden Leaf Ginkgo at Maison Beljanski to Benefit Inside and Out
Ginkgo V®
Golden Leaf Ginkgo Biloba Extract
Maison Beljanski’s distinctive preparation is made from Ginkgo leaves harvested after they turn golden.
OnKobel-Pro®
Professional Formula
Also contains the Golden Leaf Ginkgo extract. Available through qualified healthcare professionals.
Beljanskin®
Skincare
Golden Leaf Ginkgo Extract is also incorporated into selected Beljanskin® skincare formulations.
Is Golden Leaf Ginkgo a different species of Ginkgo?
No. Both green and golden leaves come from Ginkgo biloba. The distinction is when the leaves are harvested and the resulting phytochemical profile, not a different botanical species.
Is Golden Leaf Ginkgo the same as a standard ginkgo biloba extract?
No. Most ginkgo biloba leaf extracts on the market are made from green leaves. The Beljanski® Golden Leaf Ginkgo extract is made from leaves harvested after they turn golden yellow in autumn, when independent research shows the leaf chemistry has changed.
Is there independent evidence that green and yellow Ginkgo leaves are chemically different?
Yes. Multiple independent studies have documented seasonal and color-associated changes in Ginkgo constituents, including flavonoids, polyphenols, biflavonoids and terpene trilactones.
Why do ginkgo leaves turn yellow in autumn?
As days shorten, the tree stops producing chlorophyll and reabsorbs nutrients from its leaves. With the green chlorophyll gone, the yellow carotenoid pigments already present in the leaf show through, and the leaf’s overall composition changes along with its color.
What is the scientific name of the ginkgo leaf?
Ginkgo biloba L. It is the only living species of its kind, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew documents both the species and its characteristic golden autumn foliage.
Which Beljanski® products contain Golden Leaf Ginkgo?
Ginkgo V® is the Golden Leaf Ginkgo biloba extract on its own. OnKobel-Pro®, a professional formula available through healthcare professionals, also contains it, and the extract is incorporated into selected Beljanskin® skincare formulations.
Beyond Maison Beljanski
Independent Research & Sources
Show the seven sources
- Botanical identity
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Plants of the World Online recognizes Ginkgo biloba L. as an accepted species and documents its botanical identity, history and characteristic transformation to golden-colored leaves in autumn.
View - 2012
Different Leaf Colors
Shi JY, Zou XB, Zhao JW, et al. Determination of total flavonoids content in fresh Ginkgo biloba leaf with different colors… Spectrochimica Acta Part A. 2012;94:271–276.
View - 2021
Natural Leaf Senescence
Horbowicz M, Wiczkowski W, Góraj-Koniarska J, et al. Effect of Methyl Jasmonate on the Terpene Trilactones, Flavonoids… Molecules. 2021;26:4682.
View - 2024
Seasonal Ginkgo Chemistry
Jurčević Šangut I, Šamec D. Seasonal Variation of Polyphenols and Pigments in Ginkgo… Plants. 2024;13:3044.
View - 2025
Yellow Ginkgo Leaves
Jurčević Šangut I, Šamec D. From Waste to Resource: Valorization of Yellow Ginkgo Leaves… Applied Sciences. 2025;15:11436.
View - 1994
Original Golden Leaf Research
Causse E, Nawrocki T, Beljanski M. Human Skin Fibrosis RNase: Search for a Biological Inhibitor-Regulator. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Onkologie. 1994;26(5):137–139.
View (PDF) - 2023
Golden Leaf Ginkgo Extract
Chen P, Wang T, Chen Q. Ginkgo biloba Golden Leaf Extract (GGLE) Inhibits Melanoma Cell Invasion and Angiogenesis… Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2023;22.
View
Why Golden?
Mirko Beljanski deliberately chose the golden leaf decades ago.
Today, independent research shows that the chemistry of Ginkgo leaves changes substantially as they mature through the season.
And the specific Beljanski® Golden Leaf Ginkgo preparation continues to be used in scientific research.
Same tree. Different season. A continuing scientific story.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
