International Research Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology (ISSN 2251-0176) Vol. 2(9) pp. 225-230, September 2012 Available online http://www.interesjournals.org/IRJPP Copyright © 2012 International Research Journals Full length Research Paper Ethno botanical studies of medicinal plants used in the management of Peptic ulcer disease in Sokoto State, North Western Nigeria Alebiosu Celestina Oluranti 1 , Ugwah Oguejiofor Michael 2 , Ugwah-Oguejiofor Chinenye Jane 3* and Njan Anoka Ayembe 3 1 Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, P.M.B. 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria. 2 Department of Pharmacology, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, P.M.B. 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria. 3 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, P.M.B. 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria. Accepted September 18, 2012 This survey was carried out in randomly selected Local government areas in Sokoto, North West Nigeria in order to document plants used by traditional healers in the area for the management of Ulcer. Seventy traditional healers who claim to have knowledge and use medicinal plants for treating ulcer were interviewed. The documentation contains botanical, local, and common names of the plants and the plant parts used. It also contains the method of preparation and other ailments that are treated with them locally. Those plants that have been scientifically validated to have activity against ulcer were also noted in the documentation. Thirty-seven plants commonly used by traditional healers in the region were identified. The survey showed that plants from the various families including Mimosaecae, Anacardiaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae families are commonly used by traditional healers in North West Nigeria for the treatment of ulcer. The methods of preparation of the plants were usually by decoction or maceration. 51.35% of all plants have been validated scientifically as having ulcer properties. This documentation there serves as an inventory for plants used by traditional healers in Sokoto state to treat peptic ulcer disease. Keywords: Traditional healers, Medicinal plants, Ethnobotanical Survey, Ulcer, North West Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a benign lesion occurring at stomach or duodenum where the mucosal epithelium is exposed to acid and pepsin (Khazaei and Salehi, 2006; John, 2005; Tripathi, 2003). It develops when the delicate balance between some gastroprotective and aggressive factors in the gastrointestinal tract is lost (Kent and Debas, 1994; Lima et al., 2006; Jainu et al., 2006). It is the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorder (Shristi et al., 2012). An estimated 15,000 deaths occur each year as a consequence of PUD ((Shristi et al., 2012). A lot of *Corresponding Author E-mail: nenye789@yahoo.com; Tel: 234 803 609 8241 orthodox medications have been employed in the treatment of this ailment which include, proton pump inhibitors, antacids, H 2 receptor blockers, prostaglandin analogues etc. In traditional African societies, phytotherapy is highly valued and widely utilised. Majority of the population use plant materials as their sources of primary healthcare (Farnsworth et al., 1985). A lot of traditional medicine have been utilised in the treatment of peptic ulcer diseases. Ethnobotanical studies are today recognized as the most viable method of identifying new medicinal plants or refocusing on those earlier reported for bioactive constituents (Farnsworth, 1996).The method is reported to show greater percentage yield of bioactive useful medicinal compounds over other methods of random