Fighting H. pylori with Medicinal Plants: A Study on Jordan's Traditional Remedies

This study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants used among Jordanians for the treatment of gastritis and gastric ulcers against H. pylori. Moreover, plants' inhibitory activity against the H. pylori urease enzyme was also evaluated. The activity of 11 medicinal plants used by common people and herbalists to treat ulcers was evaluated against H. pylori (NCTC 11916). Ethanol and essential oil extracts from the tested plants were evaluated using a standard agar dilution method and the MICs were determined. Furthermore, the potential inhibitory effect of each preparation was tested against the enzyme urease using a kinetic colorimetric assay. Cinnamomum cassia oil showed the highest efficiency against H. pylori with the lowest MIC (0.0122 mg.mL-1), followed by Origanum syriacum and Foeniculum vulgare (MICs of 0.39 mg.mL-1). Furthermore, significant urease inhibition activity was recorded for Carum carvi oil (IC50~0.45 mg.mL-1). C. cassia oil (IC50 ~2.8 mg.mL-1), Aloysia citriodora, and Artemisia Judaica (IC50 5.8 mg.mL-1) reported potential urease inhibition activities. Herbs used in Jordanian traditional medicine were found to have anti-H. pylori and significant urease inhibitory activity. These findings might support the use of medicinal plants as adjuvant or alternative therapy for the treatment of H. pylori.