Herbal plants: A boon in the treatment of Asthma

Abstract

Asthma is a common disease that is increasing in prevalence worldwide with the highest prevalence in industrialized countries. Asthma affects around 300 million people worldwide, with more than 100million expected to be affected by 2025. From prehistoric times, plants have been excellent sources of medicine. As current asthma therapy is unsatisfactory due to side effects, many people are turning to complementary and alternative medicine to treat their asthma. Plants are mentioned in Ayurveda and other Indian literature to treat a variety of human ailments. There are around 45000 plant species in India, with thousands of them claiming therapeutic benefits. Recent studies on herbs mentioned in ancient literature or used traditionally for asthma have shown antiasthmatic, antihistaminic, and antiallergic properties. According to this review, various plants and their extracts have antiasthmatic, antihistaminic, anticholinergic, and anti- allergic properties.