The efficacy of raw bananas as a remedy for various stomach disorders has been widely practiced by our ancestors. The result turned out to be very satisfying. Bananas are considered effective in treating various disorders of the stomach. Even now, many researchers have conducted research on the effectiveness of bananas as a nutrient that can maintain stomach health.
Why can unripe bananas be effective in dealing with various disorders of the stomach?
This is because unripe bananas contain nutrients called pectin and phosphatidylcholine, which can strengthen the mucophospholipid layer that protects the stomach.
From various studies, it is known that unripe bananas also contain natural flavonoids, namely leucocyanidins, which have a role in protecting the gastric mucosa from erosion. Leucocyanidin has been shown to protect the gastric mucosa in gastric erosions caused by aspirin by increasing the thickness of the mucus.
In addition, unripe bananas also contain a nutrient called quercetin. Quercetin has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Quercetin has also been shown to protect the gastrointestinal mucosa from acute lesions induced by various necrotic agents, including the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Helicobacter pylori infection.
The bioactive components leucocyanidin and quercetin contained in bananas are free radical scavengers, which are considered efficient in reducing histamine secretion from mast cells, so they can effectively protect the gastric mucosa from ulcerogenesis. Histamine is a chemical substance in the form of an amine nitrogen compound that is produced by body cells as an immune response to remove foreign bodies or due to infection. However, if the amount is excessive, histamine can cause disturbances in bodily functions.
Bananas are known to have a rich content of phytochemicals. The phytochemical components contained in bananas include tannins, terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Some research results state that these phytochemical components have an important role as a gastroprotective agent, namely through the mechanism of stimulating the growth of the mucosa in the stomach.
Flavonoids are known as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihyperglycemic, and antiulcerogenic substances. Alkaloids are reported as anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant while saponins show anti-diabetic effects.
In other studies, it has been proven that the ethanol extract of bananas has a significant gastroprotective effect and can help ulcer healing with the same mechanism as prostaglandins.
One of the effects of giving banana fruit extract to patients with stomach disorders is a decrease in TNF-α and IL-1ß production.
TNF-α and IL-1ß in gastric epithelial tissue are cytokines that are produced in response to inflammation on the surface of the epithelium. The cause of inflammation can be caused by infection from Helicobacter pylori bacteria on the surface of the epithelium. TNF-α can cause up-regulation of cytokines and other pro-inflammatory mediators and thereby cause tissue damage through a gradual increase in serum IL-1ß and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).
IL-1ß, which is mostly produced by inflammatory cells such as monocytes or macrophages, has many roles in the inflammatory process. These cytokines play a role in the proliferation of T and B cell sets, activate neutrophils, enhance the adhesion of endothelial molecules, and stimulate the synthesis of several cytokines, including themselves. Increased adhesion between endothelial cells and leukocytes increases leukocyte migration to sites of inflammation and can cause tissue damage.
Moreover, the study also showed that after IL-1ß administration, neutrophils accumulated in the damaged mucosa and disturbed epithelium. This can result in the recurrence of ulcers that have already healed.
Pentoxifylline which is a TNF-α inhibitor can accelerate ulcer healing by inhibiting TNF-α production so that one of the antiulcerogenic mechanisms of bananas is to reduce TNF-α production.
In addition to increasing the thickness of the mucosa, bananas can also significantly increase [3H] thymidine and then incorporate it into the mucosal DNA. Administration of bananas as an antiulcerogenic to gastric ulcers induced by NSAIDs can act as a prophylaxis or curative.
As a prophylaxis, bananas are consumed before taking NSAID drugs such as aspirin.
Scientific Evidence of the Efficacy of Bananas to Cure Ulcers in the Stomach
A study conducted by Azrie Izzatul Jannah (2015) can be a reference regarding the effectiveness of bananas in healing ulcers. His research involves extracting raw Ambon bananas to extract substances that are anti-ulcerogenic and giving them to mice that are induced by aspirin. To assess the results, we measured the ulcer index in the stomachs of mice, measured the weight of the mucosa, and saw the effect on cytokines. The result is that banana extract containing leucocyanidin and quercetin can reduce the ulcer index, thicken the mucosa, and reduce the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-1ß so that it can be concluded that there are two effects given by bananas to gastric ulcer disease, namely the prophylactic effect and the prevention of the disease. and curative effects as a healing effort
The advantage of using bananas as an antiulcerogenic agent is that there are no side effects, even though their ability to heal ulcers is quite good. Compared to aluminum hydroxide (AlOH3), bananas are proven to be more effective as antiulcerogenics. In another study, bananas were able to reduce the ulcer index more than aluminum (OH3).
In the same study, bananas were also shown to prevent the decrease in gastric mucosal thickness caused by aspirin.
In fact, the reduction in TNF-α production by bananas was greater than the use of omeprazole.
From the description above, we understand the greatness of the properties contained in unripe bananas, but the problem is that eating raw bananas is certainly not pleasant. For this reason, the producer of the Karnus Concept has created a nutritional product in which one of the main raw materials is a special type of unripe banana that is processed using modern and hygienic technology, namely AG Product.
