Herbs For Asthma Support And Relief

Chamomile

Mainstream medical practitioners often prescribe steroids to reduce inflammation and open up the airways. Chamomile aids the production of natural cortisone, a steroid. Chamomile decreases inflammation and eases breathing in the same manner that pharmaceutical steroids can.

Chamomile is an excellent herb to use long term. It is not to be used as a substitute for pharmaceutical drugs. However, it may reduce the need for such medications which are accompanied by serious side effects. Chamomile helps to diminish the production of excess respiratory secretions. It can also help to settle a nauseous stomach, which often occurs due to frequent bouts of coughing.

Other Herbs for Asthma

Soothing herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow root, and mallow soothe inflamed tissues of the respiratory tract. Mullein and elecampane open up clogged, tight airways and help to thin mucus. Mullein eases hard raspy coughs and reduces inflammation. Folk users of herbs recommend smoking a cigarette made of mullein leaf to relieve asthma attacks.

Yerba Santa, echinacea, barberry root, goldenseal and Oregon grape root are sometimes recommended to prevent secondary infections. They all possess antibacterial actions.

Cayenne pepper helps to reduce sensitivity of the lining of the respiratory tract to irritants.

Ginkgo biloba is used to prevent asthma attacks. Some experts recommend it for childhood asthma.

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine employ the use of jujube to aid in the treatment of asthma. They also use coleus forskohlii extensively. Coleus relaxes the respiratory tract and opens up constricted airways. The standardized extract dose, standardized to 18% forskolin, is 50 milligrams of the extract two to three times daily.

If a person is having an asthma attack and emergency help is not available and the person is awake and able to safely swallow, many practitioners used to recommend encouraging the patient to drink a very strong cup of coffee. Coffee has properties similar to some medications used to open up airways.

Garlic and onions are rich sources of quercetin, which reduces the strength of an asthma attack. They may simply be consumed in the diet. A syrup may be prepared from them as well.

Professional herbalists may also use several other potent herbs to provide support in the treatment of asthma.

Author

This article was written for Insights-on-Health.com in Oct 2013 by Patricia Bratianu RN PhD RH-AHG. Patricia has been a Registered Nurse for almost forty years in a wide variety of settings. As a Registered Nurse, she realized that conventional healthcare was not meeting the needs of all patients. She became an herbalist and obtained a PhD in Natural Health. Patricia is a professional member of the American Herbalist’s Guild, passing the stringent peer reviewed process to become a Registered Herbalist.

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