Herbal Drugs with Antiulcer Activity

Licorice, the root and rhizome of different varieties of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Leguminosae), has been extensively used in medicine for its antiulcer activity. The principal constituent of licorice is glycyr-rhizinic acid, a triterpenoid saponin. This chemical class is known to offer protection against ulcers. 

Carbenoxolone derives from the hydrolysis of glycyrrhizinic acid after its extraction from licorice root. Carbenoxolone was the first drug found to accelerate peptic ulcer healing by a mechanism not involving the inhibition of acid secretion. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed as follows to explain the pharmacological activity of carbenoxolone  

More recently, nitric oxide has been claimed to contribute to the antiulcer effect of carbenoxolone. 

In excess, carbenoxolone produces effects similar to those of aldosterone excess (sodium retention and hypokalaemia leading to hypertension, edema, and cardiac failure). 

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