%0 Journal Article
%T Scientific Evaluation of Edible Fruits and Spices Used for the Treatment of Peptic Ulcer in Traditional Iranian Medicine
%A Mohammad Hosein Farzaei
%A Mohammad Reza Shams-Ardekani
%A Zahra Abbasabadi
%A Roja Rahimi
%J ISRN Gastroenterology
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/136932
%X In traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), several edible fruits and spices are thought to have protective and healing effects on peptic ulcer (PU). The present study was conducted to verify anti-PU activity of these remedies. For this purpose, edible fruits and spices proposed for the management of PU in TIM were collected from TIM sources, and they were searched in modern medical databases to find studies that confirmed their efficacy. Findings from modern investigations support the claims of TIM about the efficacy of many fruits and spices in PU. The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica as a beneficial remedy for PU in TIM has been demonstrated to have antioxidant, wound healing, angiogenic, anti-H. pylori, cytoprotective, antisecretory, and anti-inflammatory properties. The fruit of Vitis vinifera has been found to be anti-H. pylori, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, angiogenic, cytoprotective, and antioxidant. The fruit and aril of seed from Myristica fragrans exert their beneficial effects in PU by increasing prostaglandin, modulation of nitric oxide and inflammatory mediators, wound healing, antisecretory, antacid, antioxidant, and anti-H. pylori activities, and improving angiogenesis. Pharmacological and clinical studies for evaluation of efficacy of all TIM fruits and spices in PU and their possible mechanisms of action are recommended. 1. Introduction Gastric and duodenal ulcers, entitled as peptic ulcer (PU), are the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders in the world [1]. PU is a multifactorial and complex disease with unclear etiological factor. It has been demonstrated that PU is a pathological condition in which biological balance between aggressive and defense factors is disturbed. Among aggressive factors, it can be named from gastric acid and pepsin secretion, active free radicals and oxidants, leukotrienes, endothelins, and exogenous factors such as ethanol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In contrast, gastric mucus, bicarbonate, normal blood flow, prostaglandin (PG), nitric oxide (NO), and antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and glutathione (GSH) work as defense factors [2, 3]. Most of the gastric lesions originate from a chronic infection of gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). H. pylori is a common human pathogen with asymptomatic stomach colonization in nearly 70% of the population and approximately 10%¨C20% are susceptible for PU [4]. Traditional medicines of all over the world possess different virgin remedies for the treatment of symptomatologies related to many ailments. Thus, they are very important
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.gastroenterology/2013/136932/