Asthma is one of the most common chronic inflammatory disorders, and there is a lot of evidence to suggest that it is increasing in incidence and severity. The current treatment options for asthma are aimed to lessen the symptoms, improve the patient’s quality of life, and to prevent the disease from progressing on rather than curing the underlying condition itself. The most common treatments that are now available are anti-inflammatory therapies, bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids. These treatments are quite effective in lessening the symptoms of asthma, but they do have some limitations. An example is if overused, some of these therapies can cause negative effects in some patients like an increased risk of developing pneumonia and cardiac comorbidities. Some patients don’t even respond to the current treatments. That is why we need to look for alternative ways and treatments for asthma. One alternative that is proving to be a good alternative is herbal medicine. Today I will be discussing the different herbal medicines used, and how they might be able to help in the treatment of asthma.
Current treatments
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that arises from a complex interaction between the immune system and cells of the lung to induce the cardinal features of bronchial hyper-responsiveness, increased mucus production, narrowing of the airways, and airway remodelling. The symptoms of asthma are airway narrowing, debilitating bouts of shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. Most treatments try to control the symptoms, the usual recommendations to do so is by using anti-inflammatory treatments. One of the main anti-inflammatory treatments used is inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and bronchodilators, for example short and long acting β2-adrenergic agonists (LABA; 5). Though there is a concern, particularly for children, that an overuse of inhaled corticosteroids may affect their bone growth, and that using bronchodilators therapy for long in isolation is associated with morbidity. β2 agonists, anticholinergics, methylxanthines and cromones. These are 4 of the 5 currently used classes of drugs today. They all have origins in herbal treatments going back at least 5000 years. Many different cultures have archives of information on the herbal treatment of asthma.
A Th1/Th2 imbalance is what is normally accepted as the thing responsible for the development of allergic asthma. The Th1 cells secrete IFN-γ, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-β (TNF-β), and the Th2 cells secrete IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 . IL-4 and IL-13 causes B cells to switch istotype class to Immunoglobulin-E(IgE) synthesis, this can then bind to high-affinity receptors on mast cells and basophils, and then lead to the activation of these cells. IL-5 activates eosinophils and attracts them to the lung, there they secrete numerous inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. IL-13 affects the airway epithelium, it causes increases in goblet cell differentiation, activation of fibroblasts, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. This could then affect the balance in Th1/Th2 (Clarke, Lundy, and McGarvey, 2016).
In addition, many herbs and plants already contain naturally active chemicals that can be very helpful in treating many different illnesses and diseases. This makes herbal medication a perfect candidate for treating conditions that have multiple symptoms, such as inflammatory diseases.
The herbal medicines for asthma
Turmeric: Turmeric gets its color from curcumin. This natural coloring agent can also reduce inflammation. You may have used it to cook delicious flavorful curries and other dishes. Turmeric can also help with arthritis and possibly even cancer. A study was done with 77 participants that have mild to moderate asthma, they took curcumin capsules for 30 days. Researchers have found that the curcumin supplement helps reduce airway obstruction and can be a very helpful complementary treatment for asthma. Though there is still more research needed to be done to determine the benefits and risks.
Ginseng and Garlic: Ginseng and garlic are common herbs that are available in many varieties in the form of supplements. Ginseng is a plant from Asia, and many people believe that it has many health benefits, like the improvement of respiratory conditions. Garlic is another thought to have significant health benefits, such as reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. A study that was done on a few rats has connected the use of ginseng and garlic to the reduction of asthma symptoms. In the study rats were exposed to a substance that affects the lungs. The researchers then gave some of the rats ginseng and garlic during the time of the exposure. Those rats that were given the herbs had decreased symptoms and inflammation, and those that weren’t given the herbs didn’t decrease in symptoms. Though there is still more research needed to be conducted on humans to prove the effectiveness of these herbs (Silver, 2019).
From China
Ginkgo Biloba: Li and coworkers used 15g, 3 times a day, of concentrated ginkgo leaf liquor to treat 61 asthmatic patients, their ages ranging from 13 to 48. The ginkgolides in the extract is suggested to act as anti-inflammatory agents and to reduce airway hyperresponsiveness and bronchospasm. This was concluded because the treatment group, after 4 weeks of taking this showed a significant increase in FEV1, by 10%, and by 8 weeks it reached a clinically relevant improvement of 15%.
Ligusticum Wallichii (L wallichi): Shao conducted a randomized but controlled trial of L wallichii. 150 adults ranging from moderate to severe asthma were given 10 ml 3 times a day. It was shown that FEV1 increased significantly in the group that took the L wallichi, after only 1 month by 13%, compared to those that didn’t. A similar study done on guinea pigs showed that L wallichi relaxed tracheal smooth muscle and decreased the levels of thromboxane B2. (Huntley and Ernst, 2000)
Honey: Honey is a sweet and natural substance that can help different aspects of a person’s asthma. It can smooth airways and decrease the tickle that causes one to cough. Adults can take two teaspoons at night to reduce a cough. You may even mix the honey with other herbs such as turmeric to ease your symptoms even more. In a study, researchers gave honey that they converted into a gas to 40 rabbits and found that the asthma symptoms of those rabbits lessened. Though this doesn’t mean honey can completely reduce asthma symptoms in humans, there is still more research needed to be done to determine if this method of dispensing honey can help people with asthma.
From India
Aleurites Moluccana (A. molucanna): A. moluccana is a tree native to Indonesia and India, and has been used in traditional remedies for the treatment of asthma and other things such as pain, fever, and headaches. Recently, people have been looking into the anti-nociceptive effects and mechanical anti-hypersensitivity properties of A. molucanna. It has also been found to possess antiviral and antimicrobial properties, which show how plants that have multiple active compounds in them can yield several benefits to patients. The extracts of A. molucanna have been used to produce analgesic and anti-inflammatory phytomedicines because of the history between A. molucanna, anti-nociceptive, and anti-inflammatory therapies. (Clarke, Lundy, and McGarvey, 2015)
Picrorrhiza Kurroa (P kurroa): P kurroa is a small herb with tuberous roots, that is used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of various conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Doshiet, in a randonmized clinical trail, used P kurroa to treat 72 patients that have been suffering from bronchial asthma, for a period of 14 weeks, they were between the ages of 14 and 60. They were either given 300mg of P kurroa root powder 3 times a day or an identical placebo in a 3 arm study. The parameters metered were lung function tests including FEV1 and daily diary symptom scores, and in them there was no significant change.
From Japan
Dried Ivy Leaf Extract: In a randomized clinical trial 35mg of dried ivy extract was investigated in the treatment of bronchial asthma in 24 children over the span of three days. It is suggested that ivy extract can work in a secretolytic and bronchospasmolytic manner, because even though there was no significant improvement in FEV1, there was a 23.6% decrease in Raw compared with placebo, p=0.0361.
Risks of herbal treatment
You must always remember that all these herbs still need more research to prove their effectiveness. There might be risks that come with taking them so you must always consult your doctor on what herbs you can and cannot take for your asthma. Some things to remember are.No herbal treatment has strong evidence showing its effectiveness. The studies done on animals that show good results doesn’t always mean it will work the same for humansSome herbs may interfere with the traditional asthma medication and cause complications Herbal supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA, they haven’t been reviewed by any governing bodies, and can be contaminated with other substances Herbs can cause allergic reactions, don’t give them to children, don’t take them while pregnant or breastfeeding without consulting a doctor
Conclusion
For many people the traditional asthma treatments are quite effective in combating their asthma symptoms, but there are a few that it doesn’t completely or easily work for. There are also concerns of the negative effects that the traditional asthma medication may pose for certain people, such as children, if taken in large doses for long periods of time. Due to this many people are trying to find natural alternatives that may help in reducing their symptoms of asthma. Though for some people these natural herbs have been yielding wonderful results there is still much to be researched and discussed, so it isn’t recommended to use any of these herbs in treating asthma without first consulting a doctor. I hope that this article gave you some information on the different herbs used and how it may be able to help with the symptoms of asthma.
References
Clarke, R., Lundy, F. T., & McGarvey, L. (2015). Herbal treatment in asthma and COPD – current evidence.
Huntley, A., & Ernst, E. (2000). Herbal medicines for asthma: a systematic review.
Liu, F., Xuan, N., Ying, S., Li, W., Chen, Z., & Shen, H. (2016, July 20). Herbal Medicines for Asthmatic inflammation: From basic researches to clinical applications.
Silver, N. (2019, June 3). 5 Herbs for Severe asthma: Are they effective?
