Traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of gastric ailments including peptic ulcers, the seven plants were studied against H. pylori using the agar dilution method.

The plants evaluated in the study were Cistus laurifolius and Spartium junceum, cones of Cedrus libani, herbs and flowers of Centaurea solstitialis, fruits of Momordica charantia, the herb part of Sambucus ebulus, and flowering herbs of Hypericum perforatum.

The researchers at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Ankara, Turkey found that all the plants, except Spartium junceum showed activity against the H. pylori organism and among the most active plants, Cistus laurifolius was found to be the most significant.