Review on Antiasthamatic Herbs

Abstract

Asthma is a disease of the airways which is chronic in nature. The inflammation of the airways results in increased contractibility of the smooth muscles which are surrounding the airways. As a result of this, the airways are narrowed and finally it results in wheezing. The causes of asthma are both environmental and genetic. Epigenetic as well as the changes occurring in the environment cause asthma. Allergens, air pollution, high ozone levels, traffic pollution, cockroaches, dust mites, animal dander, mould and smoking are the factors that result in asthma. Asthma is essentially characterized by the restriction of obstruction tracheal muscle. Herbs are used as a natural remedy for the management of asthma. The treatment of asthma is mainly focused on the strengthening of the health of the lungs, nervous and immune systems. This generally requires long time therapy and more over the people has been realized serious adverse effects of the synthetic drugs which are used in the management of asthma. As a result, the world has started exploring the herbs as an agent of asthma therapy. Plants which are comparatively economical, easily available, and relatively free from the hazardous side effects are usually selected.

From ancient times, Ayurvedic science has explored, analysed and documented the medicinally important plants through assessment of their multiple modes of therapeutic action. Natural products have been an important resource for maintaining life for ages, as evident from Indian Ayurvedic literatures like Charak and Sushruta Samhita. Current synthetic drugs hold no promise incomplete healing of these disorders. In contrast to them, many target specific herbal alternatives have been recognized due to properties like bronchodilator, mast cell stabilization, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, immunomodulatory as well as inhibitory action on mediators of inflammation (leukotriene’s, cyclooxygenase, cytokines etc.)