Combined Effects of Medicinal Plants Gastrointestinal Tract Injury in Wistar Rats on Induced Upper

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Herbal medicines are now recently used as treatment options. This study wasconducted to determine the effect of the combination therapy of medicinal herbs in the treatment ofinduced gastrointestinal injury among albino wistar rats.METHODS: A total of 60 Albino Wistar rats of both sexes weighing between 130g-150g were used. Thecontrol groups which consisted of negative control groups received 1ml of normal saline while thepositive control group was given 20mg/kg of indomethacin and sacrificed after 6 hours. Those in the testgroup were given 20mg/kg of indomethacin, treated in different doses of single and combined extracts ofAllium sativum, Brassica oleracea and Aloe barbadensis at 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg bodyweights, twice daily for 8 days and sacrificed.RESULTS: There was no visible sign of ulceration or perforation observed on the stomach andduodenum when compared with the control. The combination of all three plant extracts at differentconcentrations ranging from 100 – 300mg/kg cleared all visible ulcers and perforations on the stomachof wistar rats. Similarly, all ulcers in the duodenum of indomethacin induced wistar rats were cleared bythe combination of the three extracts. The sections of rat stomach and duodenum given 100mg/kg herbalcocktail and indomethacin showed normal mucosa.CONCLUSIONS: A mixture of the three herbs at 300mg/kg was better in healing gastric and duodenalulcers. The mixture of the three plants extracts exhibit good anti-ulcer activity that warrants furtherstudies.