RESUMEN
Natural honey is prepared by bees from the nectars of various plants. It has occupied a prominent place in medicine throughout world history. The revelation in the Holy Koran as well as its documentation in the Hadith clearly described the effectiveness of honey in a variety of diseases including disorders of gastrointestinal tract. However, systematic scientific studies in support of its medical attributes are lacking. In view of this, the effects of honey on experimentally induced gastric lesions in rats were investigated. Honey afforded a dose-dependent protection against indomethacin-induced gastric lesions. There was almost 100% protection against gastric damage with the highest dose of honey used. However, there was only partial protection [58%] against ethanol-induced gastric lesions. These results of our preliminary study suggest that honey has anti- ulcerogenic activity and may be clinically useful in preventing/reducing the occurrence of gastric lesions if concurrently administered with potential ulcerogenic drugs. Thus, this study provides both macroscopic and microscopic evidence in support of the revelation in the Holy Koran and the Hadith