Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Remedy for Cough

Abstract

The most frequent reason patients seek medical assistance is because of a persistent cough, despite the fact that coughing is both a crucial defensive reflex and a universal indication of health. According to an epidemiologic study, up to 40% of people report coughing. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and the common cold are the most frequent causes of cough, but other causes include post-infectious cough, undiagnosed chronic cough, and cough brought on by pulmonary diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer. The most common causes of cough in children are viral URTI, chronic bacterial bronchitis, and asthma. Whether acute or chronic, cough is linked to considerably reducing health-related quality of life. Patients with chronic cough commonly report sleep disturbance, nausea, chest pains, lethargy, social humiliation, urine incontinence, and low mood. Coughing may not be effective in certain circumstances (such as respiratory tract inflammation, neoplasia, eosinophilic bronchitis, airway irritation from various pollutants, airway hyperresponsiveness from infection, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and coughing without any known cause, also known as idiopathic cough). Opioidergic central cough suppressants, such as opioids, codeine, pholcodine, noscapine, and dextromethorphan, are useful when coughing is ineffective. Constipation, sedation, respiratory depression, dependence, drowsiness, addiction, and even mortality can result from prolonged use of these cough suppressants, which restricts their use in people. The proposed research project’s objective is to develop and assess herbal dosage forms that contain the widely used spice Piper longum L. (Piperaceae).