A Review on Herbal Drugs Used in the Treatment of Peptic Ulcer

An ulcer is a condition characterized by inflammation, irritation, or erosion in the mucosal lining of the stomach or duodenum. Hence, peptic ulcer is the ulcer of both the stomach and the duodenum. 10% of the world's population is affected by chronic peptic ulcers. The formation of peptic ulcers depends on gastric juice pH and the decrease in mucosal defenses. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection are the two significant factors disrupting mucosal resistance to injury. Indian herbal plants are exceptional for their ethnic, ethnobotanical, and ethno-pharmaceutical use. In this review, attempts have been made to gain information regarding some plants that may be used to treat or prevent peptic ulcers. The ultimate goal of peptic ulcer disease treatment is to reduce pain, cure ulcers, and prevent recurrence.

The aim of the study was to gain knowledge about several common medicinal plants employed in Ayurveda or contemporary science for the treatment or prevention of peptic ulcers and some natural and simple approaches to cure ulcers using readily available herbs.

The literature search was carried out using search engines, like Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Medline, Springer, etc. Results: The extensive literature search showed natural herbs to have potential anti-ulcer activity, including cabbage, bananas, liquorice, fenugreek, garlic, Terminalia chebula, Acacia arabica, Aegle marmelos, Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Plantago ispagula, Mimosa pudica, Annona squamosa, Azadirachta indica, and Galega purpurea.

This study concluded several medicinal plants to effectively prevent or cure peptic ulcers caused by a variety of factors, including H. pylori, aspirin, indomethacin, alcohol, and others.