Herbal Remedies for Asthma: An Overview
Asthma affects 7% population of the United States, 6.5% of
British population and a total of 300 million people worldwide. It affects over
5-10% of the population in industrialized countries. Asthma is characterized by
a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways
(bronchi) are reversibly narrowed resulting in difficulty in breathing. The
agents responsible for the early reaction (immediate bronchoconstriction)
include- histamine, tryptase, and other neutral proteases, leukotrienes C4 &
D4 and prostaglandins. Synthetic drugs may give instant relief from symptoms of
asthma, but have lot of undesirable effects (like those of steroids). Herbal
drugs (Tylophora, Coleus, Ephedra, Boswelia and Ginkgo etc.) as reported in
ancient literature and screened for pharmacological activity are an excellent
option for the treatment of various ailments including asthma.
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