Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-ulcer efficacy of methanolic root extract of the Ficus hispida Linn. (FH), which was known to possess various therapeutic properties. The reason for the study was that the known non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were full of side effects especially ulceration causes Gastric ulceration an economic loss and a source of welfare concern worldwide. There are 350,000 to 500,000 new cases per year and more than one million are ulcer-related hospitalizations. We found that FH decreased the incidence of ulcers and also enhanced the healing of ulcers. Methanolic extract of FH at doses 200 and 400 mg/kg was found to be effective by 63.8 and 68.44% respectively in aspirin (ASP) induced ulcer model and significantly reduced free and total acidity. It was observed that anti-ulcer effect of FH might be due to its cytoprotective effect rather than antisecretory activity. Conclusively, FH was found to possess potent anti-ulcerogenic as well as ulcer-healing properties and could act as a potent therapeutic agent against peptic ulcer disease.

Key words: Ficus hispida Linn., peptic ulcer, aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.