Research has found that three natural plant extracts each can reduce gut-infective colonies of Helicobacter pylori.
H. pylori studied with herbs
Researchers from Bulgaria’s Medical University of Sofia tested six infusions of plant-herbs on Helicobacter pylori strains. They conducted a comparative screening assay along with agar-well diffusion and electron microscope analysis.
The researchers tested herbal infusions (teas) of Camellia sinensis (green tea), Hypericum perforatum (St John’s wort), Calicotome villosa (Rooibos), Peppermint (Mentha sp.), Matricaria chamomilla (Chamomile) and Lime flower (Tilia sp.). They prepared tea infusions and tested several species of H. pylori.
In their comparative analysis testing, the researchers found that the Green tea, the St. John's wort and the Roobios teas all significantly inhibited the H. pylori bacteria. Among 60 percent of strains, the researchers found that the Green tea inhibited the H. pylori strains by 82%, while St. John's wort inhibited H. pylori by 76% and Rooibos inhibited 63%, all within two hours of application.
The other analyses done by the researchers confirmed these findings.
The researchers noted the importance of their findings:
“To our knowledge, these are the first data about rooibos and lime flower activities against H. pylori. All the three methods revealed that the most active agents were the green tea, St. Johns wort and rooibos, which also possess additional beneficial properties, e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects, therefore these plants may have a beneficial use as prophylactic agents against or adjuvants in the therapy of H. pylori infection.”
Stimulating the immune system
In other words, these herbs provide more than simply killing effects upon the H. pylori bacteria. They also stimulate the immune system and help the body’s detoxifications process.
Infections of Helicobacter pylori – which typically infect the stomach – have been linked with ulcers and stomach cancer.
Yet most of the population of third world countries host H. pylori, and these countries have extremely low gastric cancer rates.
Some studies have shown that nearly all healthy children host the bacterium throughout the third world, and those countries with the highest H. pylori communities have the lowest rates of gastric cancers.
Furthermore, the host rate of H. pylori infection among Americans has been going down dramatically over the past 50 years, and H. pylori infections have been extremely low
This mystery may also reveal the cause for the emergence of CagA-positive infections of H. pylori, from other research.
The bottom line with H. pylori is that certain species of H. pylori are healthy, and others are not. And natural herbal products such as green tea, St. John's wort and Rooibos – along with the right diet – have the ability to help re-establish our gut bacteria.
REFERENCES:
Boyanova L. Comparative evaluation of the activity of plant infusions against Helicobacter pylori strains by three methods. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013 Dec 31.
Gadhi CA, Benharref A, Jana M, Lozniewski A. Anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of Aristolochia paucinervis Pomel extracts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2001 May;75(2-3):203-5.