ABSTRACT
Helicobacter pylori [HP] infection is the most common gastrointestinal bacterial disease worldwide. It is known that HP could be eradicated by a combination of therapeutic agents, but sometimes the cure thus achieved is incomplete and undesirable side effects are certain to occur. On the other hand, the anti- Helicobacter pylori effect of traditional herbal medicines has not been extensively studied. Cumin and tarragon are plants that are native to Iran and it has been reported that they are beneficial in gastric problems. In this study their activity against HP was examined. Percolated methanol and aqueous extracts of plant leaves were tested against 45 clinical isolates of HP. Growth inhibition was determined by the filter paper disc diffusion method on modified egg yolk emulsion agar [EYE agar] compared with amoxicillin and metronidazole. The effect of both methanol extracts of cumin and tarragon were significantly better than their aqueous extracts [p<0.001]. Methanol extract of tarragon and aqueous extract of cumin exhibited the most and least anti-HP activity, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] of methanol extract s of cumin and tarragon were 691 micro g/ml. Both of two methanol extracts preserved their anti-HP activity after autoclaving for 20 min. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the cumin methanol extract indicated the presence of saponins and in the tarragon methanol extract indicated presence of saponins and tannins. Screening among natural resources and plants, which are used in folk medicine for gastric problems could be beneficial. This study demonstrated that tarragon and cumin inhibited the growth of H. pylori strains in vitro