Various pharmacological effects have been reported for Rosa damascene, however, its possible effects on gastric emptying has not yet been addressed in the literature. The possible effect of boiled extract of Rosa damascene on gastric emptying was studied in fasting rats. The rats in the test or control groups were gavaged with boiled extract of Rosa damascene or placebo respectively (twice with 18h interval). Thirty min following the last medication, all rats were gavaged with phenol red and methyl cellulose (1.5ml). Test and control rats, in groups of 3, were sacrificed at times 30min, 1, 2 and 4h, and the amounts of phenol red were measured in the stomach, as well as the reminder of the gut, using a spectrophotometer. Less than 5% (4.8±3.1) of phenol red had remained in the stomach after 2h in the control group, compared to 37±6.5% in the test group (p<0.01). The percentage of phenol red in the stomach after 4h remained high (39.2±4.7%) in the test group compared to the control (10.4±4.4%; p<0.05). The current results suggest that boiled extract of Rosa damascene significantly delays stomach emptying in rats.

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