Remedies in asthma treatment: Introduce a new remedy from perspective of Persian medicine

Background Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Mucus plug formation, oxidative stress, swelling of the airway walls, inflammatory process and vascular changes are important events in asthma pathogenesis. Aims Although bronchodilators and steroids are two main drugs in asthma treatment, many adults and children still use complementary and alternative (CAM) medicine. This study was conducted to determine the most popular remedies in asthma treatment from perspective of Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) manuscripts. Methods The main Traditional Persian textbooks from the 9th to 18th centuries AD were collected and analysed. Thereafter, the most listed plants in asthma treatment were gathered. The plants in this list were searched and compared in recent studies. Results Some of these plants have antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects; a few of them have undergone animal or human researches in conventional medicine. Conclusion According to long history of medicine in Persia the collected list of remedies could be helpful in selecting plants for future studies in asthma treatment.