AN REVIEW ARTICLE ON THE ANTI-ULCER ACTIVITY OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS

Peptic ulcer is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases. The exact causes of peptic ulcer disease are not known but it may be result from an imbalance between acid-pepsin secretion and mucosal defence factors. Peptic ulcer disease occurs mainly due to consumption of NSAIDs, infection by H. pylori, stress, or due to a pathological condition such as Zollinger –Ellison Syndrome. Nature provides a number of medicines and perhaps all solutions for human illnesses. So far, nature supplies many clinically useful drugs. Ulcer is a major increasing health problem. Nowadays, there are several synthetic medications available for the treatment of peptic ulcers, but these drugs are expensive and are likely to produce more side effects than herbal drugs. Certain antiulcer drugs such as proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists are used to treat peptic ulcers. However, these drugs have shown disease relapse, side effects, and even drug interactions. Numerous medicinal plants have anti-ulcer activity and are useful in the treatment of peptic ulcers. The aim of this review is to find out more about the anti-ulcer properties of herbal medicines. The present article reviews the antiulcerogenic and ulcer healing property of Ocimum sanctum, Allophylus serratus, Desmodium gagenticum, Azadirachta indica, Hemidesmus racemosus, Asparagus racemosus, and Musa sapientum. We have brought to light some of the important plants reported for their anti-ulcer and ulcer healing properties. Ayurvedic knowledge supported by modern science is necessary to isolate, characterize and normalize the active components of herbal sources for antiulcerative activity. KEYWORDS: Antiulcer activity, Ethanolic extract, Aspirin-induced ulcer model, NSAIDs