title: Medicinal plants in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter pylori is a small, spiral, Gram-negative bacillus that plays a role in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases ranging from asymptomatic gastritis to gastric cancer. Schedule compliance, antibiotic drug resistance, and side-effects of triple or quadruple therapy have led to research for novel candidates from plants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to review the most potent medicinal plants of recently published literature with anti-H. pylori activity. For centuries, herbals have been used by traditional healers around the world to treat various gastrointestinal tract disorders such as dyspepsia, gastritis, and peptic ulcer disease. The mechanism of action by which these botanicals exert their therapeutic properties has not been completely and clearly elucidated. Anti-H. pylori properties may be one of the possible mechanisms by which gastroprotective herbs treat gastrointestinal tract disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic databases such as PubMed, Google scholar, EBSCO, and local databases were explored for medicinal plants with anti-H. pylori properties between 1984 and 2013 using key words "medicinal plants" and "Helicobacter pylori" or "anti-Helicobacter pylori".
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 43 medicinal plant species belonging to 27 families including Amaryllidaceae, Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Asteraceae, Bignoniaceae, Clusiaceae, Chancapiedra, Combretaceae, Cyperaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Geraniaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Lythraceae, Menispermaceae, Myristicaceae, Myrtaceae, Oleaceae, Papaveraceae, Plumbaginaceae, Poaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, and Theaceae were studied as herbs with potent anti-H. pylori effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traditional folk medicinal use of some of these plants to treat gastric infections is substantiated by the antibacterial activity of their extracts against H. pylori.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) , Tehran , Iran .
authors.forename: Maliheh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Safavi
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shams-Ardakani
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foroumadi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Anti-H. pylori; gastric adenocarcinoma; gastroprotective herbs; peptic ulcer