Screening of Turkish anti-ulcerogenic folk remedies for anti-Helicobacter pylori activity

The anti-Helicobacter pylori effect of the extracts and fractions obtained from seven Turkish plants, which are used in folk medicine for the treatmen t of gastric ailments including peptic ulcers, were studied against one sta ndard strain and eight clinical isolates of H. pylori by using the agar dil ution method. Flowers of Cistus laurifolius and Spartium junceum, cones of Cedrus libani, herbs and flowers of Centaurea solstitialis sap. solstitiali s, fruits of Momordica charantia, herbaceous parts of Sambucus ebulus, and flowering herbs of Hypericum perforatum were evaluated in this study, Resul ts showed that all except one extract from six of these plants showed activ ity against the microorganism with MICs between 1.95 and 250 mu g/ml, with S. junceum being the only inactive species. Amongst the active plants the i nhibitory properties of C. laurifolius were found prominent. (C) 1999 Elsev ier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.