Diabetes and the Gingko Tree
Did you know there is a connection between the Ginkgo tree and diabetes?
When I wrote Princess Shayna’s Invisible Visible Gift, I included a Ginkgo tree in the story. I had always loved the graceful shape and fan shaped leaves of the Ginkgo tree that grew in the courtyard of my childhood home.
My “Green Brain“ knew it was essential to research the tree before including it in my chilren’s book. I called the Morton Arboretum, then I took several field trips to lovely botanical gardens where I researched and learned fascinating facts about this unique tree and viewed their magnificent stand of mature Ginkgo trees. I also discovered that the Morton Arboretum’s logo for their gift store and restaurant was a Ginkgo leaf. I still enjoy the Ginkgo leaf silk scarf and earrings I purchase one of my visits. We also planted a Ginkgo tree in our front yard as loving reminder of my childhood home and Princess Shayna’s Precious Gifts (scroll down to read free chapter).
The Ginkgo tree is the oldest specie of tree. It is over 140,000,00 years old, and the Chinese culture considers the Ginkgo to be a tree of great distinction and dignity. The tree is respected as a loyal and historic soul, as are the village elders in the story. It also is an ancient Chinese emblem of longevity and survival, which are two wishes we have for our loved ones and others who must deal with never-ending daily challenges of diabetes management.
According to Global Prevalence of Diabetes in the Epidemiology/Health Services/Psychosocial report: “The prevalence of diabetes for all age-groups worldwide was estimated to be 2.8% in 2000 and 4.4% in 2030. The total number of people with diabetes is projected to rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030.”
The Ginkgo tree is historically known as the Grandfather-Grandson tree. Only the old trees bear seeds, so it is the grandson of the planter, who benefits from the precious “silver apricots” (scroll down to read free chapter) fruit of the tree. That is very meaningful, because the roots of my fairy tale were planted by my father, who had Type 2 diabetes and was the inspiration for King Alexander in my story; and our eldest son, Joshua, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was fifteen, will benefit from the fruits of my book. 10% of the royalties from the sale of my books is allocated to diabetes research and education.
Enjoy reading more information about the Ginkgo tree in the Diabetes Connection on my website.
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