An Evidence-based Review of Medicinal Herbs for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Title:An Evidence-based Review of Medicinal Herbs for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Volume: 15 Issue: 4

Author(s): Ayda Hosseinkhani, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani, Abdolali Mohagheghzadeh, Chunlin Long and Mehdi Pasalar*

Affiliation:

• Research Center for Traditional Medicine and History of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,Iran

Keywords: Gastroesophageal reflux disease, persian medicine, stomach, herb, lower esophageal sphincter, regurgitation, complementary and alternative medicine.

Abstract: Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common diseases in society, affecting up to 40% of the population. It has major impact on the quality of life and a high burden on medical expenditure. In this work, herbs used by ancient Iranians to treat GERD have been introduced.

Methods: Different well-known Persian textbooks and recent electronic databases were searched to explore the treatment of GERD and the pharmacological mechanisms of the identified medicinal plants.

Results: GERD has been known for many centuries, and many herbal remedies for its treatment have been elucidated in traditional medical literature. We found 25 medicinal herbs in Persian medicine books and searched for evidence to support them in the current literature.

Conclusion: Although their active components or the mechanism of action were not known by the ancient Persians at that time, their persistent use during different centuries might indicate their effectiveness. Owing to their potential, medicinal herbs are a viable option for the treatment of diseases like GERD even today.

Cite this article as:

Hosseinkhani Ayda , Lankarani Bagheri Kamran , Mohagheghzadeh Abdolali , Long Chunlin and Pasalar Mehdi *, An Evidence-based Review of Medicinal Herbs for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Current Drug Discovery Technologies 2018; 15 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570163814666171010113517