Phytochemical and Pharmacological Evaluation of Anti Ulcer Activity of Ficus Arnottiana Miq. Fruit

Herbal Medicine sometimes referred to as Herbalism or Botanical Medicine, is the use of herbs for their therapeutic or medicinal value. An herb is “a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, aromatic or savory qualities”. Herb plants produce and contain a variety of chemical substances that act upon the body. Herbalists use the leaves, flowers, stems, berries, and roots of plants to prevent, relieve, and treat illness. From a "scientific" perspective, many herbal treatments are considered experimental. The reality is, however, that herbal medicine has a long and respected history. Many familiar medications of the twentieth century were developed from ancient healing traditions that treated health problems with specific plants. The preliminary phytochemical investigation showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, tannins and phytosteroids. The pharmacological studies of ethanol extract were performed by the following OECD-423 guidelines. The phytoconstituents like flavonoids, tannins and saponins have been reported in several anti-ulcer literatures as possible gastro protective agents, flavonoids, tannins and saponins are among the cytoprotective active materials for which antiulcergenic efficacy has been confirmed. It is suggested that these compounds will be able to stimulate mucus, bicarbonate and prostaglandin secretion and counteract with the deteriorating effects of relative oxidants in gastrointestinal lumen. Tannins may prevent ulcer development due to their protein precipitating and vasoconstriction effects. Their astringent action can help precipitating micro proteins on the ulcer site, thereby forming an impervious layer over the lining that hinders gut secretions and protects the underlying mucosa from toxins and other irritants. Alkaloids prevent ulcer induced by stress