Inhibition of acid production
Inhibition of acid production can improve gastric ulcer[79]. Many herbal medicines with anti-gastric ulcer activity reduce gastric acid secretion (Table (Table1).1). For example, oral Ocimum sanctum extract for 3 d induced a > 50% reduction in total gastric acidity[26]. Similarly, oral Solanum nigrum fruits extract at a dose of 400 mg/kg lowered gastric acid concentration comparable to omeprazole (10 mg/kg)[35]. Herbal medicine-induced reduction in acid production could be due to: (1) inhibition of H(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity, as demonstrated in animal models of gastric ulcer[35,50]; or (2) stimulation of prostaglandin E2 production[33,49,52,62,65].