The Effect of Aloe Vera & Ginger On Experimental Gastric Mucosal Lesions &Gastric Mucosal Defensive Mechanism

Herbal medicines are now used highly in the western population for the treatment or prevention of digestive disorders. Many effective medicinal plants have been introduced for curing many diseases because of their safety and low cost of treatment. Among them are aloe vera and ginger. Aloe vera is known to posses a satisfactory healing capacity on various external ulceration, especially on protracted chronic ulceration. Aloe vera gel has been demonstrated to protect and cure gastric ulcer in human. Ginger has been used as a broad spectrum anti-emetic medicine since ancient times and also in many diseases as nausea, constipation, rheumatic pain and indigestion.The present work was planned to study the effect of aloe vera and ginger on gastric mucosa and gastric ulcer induced experimentally by indomethacin compared to ranitidine and sucralfate in pyloric-ligated rats. The parameters studied for gastric ulcer were the ulcer index, the ulcer score and preventive index. In addition, the volume of gastric secretion, titratable acidity, acid output, and reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels were also studied.It could be concluded that administration of ranitidine in a dose of 50mg/kg, sucralfate in a dose of 500mg/kg, the lyophilized aloe vera gel in a dose of 400mg/kg or the alcoholic extract of ginger in a dose of 500mg/kg orally for 7 days showed no gastric injuries or ulceration in glandular area of the rat stomach. Ranitidine (50mg/kg), aloe vera (400mg/kg) or ginger extract (500mg/kg) treated groups significantly reduced the gastric volume, titratable acidity and acid output except aloe vera treated group which insignificantly reduced the gastric volume. Sucralfate treated group showed insignificant change in gastric volume or gastric acidity. Furthermore, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde level and serum tumor necrosis factor alpha level showed insignificant change.