Effects of Hoelen on the efferent activity of the gastric vagus nerve in the rat.

Hoelen is used to treat gastric disease in Eastern traditional medicine. The efferent activity on the gastric vagus nerve was studied in the rat, and the activity was found to increase after administration of Hoelen into the duodenum. In addition, we examined the effect of Hoelen fractions. Both the fraction containing polysaccharide and the triterpenoid-rich fraction increased activity significantly. Hoelen would thus appear useful for treating gastric disease by activating efferent activity of the gastric vagus nerve through the action of triterpenoid and polysaccharide.