How Plant Help in Asthma ?

 

Trees and plants plays an essential role in human life.They have provided us with two of life’s necessities, food and oxygen they also provided additional necessities such as shelter medicine and tools .Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen ,improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis at the trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen be breath. They cover about 30% of earth Earth’s land surface . Several plants have medicinal benefits . They are used in treatments of common diseases such as malaria, cholera, pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma. Traditional medicine is still recognised as the preferred primary health care system in many rural communities, due to a number of reasons including affordability and effectiveness . The research on medical plants have scientifically proven the effectiveness of plants which is used to treat prevalent diseases.

How plants help in cure asthma ?

This chronic disease affects both adults and children and asthma is today one of the most common chronic childhood illness . There is no scientifically proven cure for asthma but it can be controlled and regulated. This chronic disease affect the airways of the lung. during normal breathing, the bands of muscle that surround the airways are relaxed and air moves freely.

Symptoms of Asthma

Asthma symptoms are not the same forever . The most common symptoms include :

1)Coughing, especially at night

2) Shortness of breath

3)Wheezing

4)Chest tightness ,pain or pressure

Causes of asthma

The most common possible triggers for asthma include:

1) Allergens (dust mites, pollens,pets mold spores, cockroaches and sometimes food)

2) Exercise

3)Infections (colds, viruses ,flu ,sinus infection)

4)Irritants(strong odor from cleaning products, perfume ,wood smoke, air pollution)

5)Some medication

6)Strong emotion such as crying or laughing hard

7)Tobacco and smoke

8)Weather (changes in temperature and/ or humidity, cold air)

Indoor safety for asthmatic patients

For people living with asthma , the indoor air is often stale and dry and can contain pollutants that exacerbate asthma symptoms. Household cleaning products, HVAC systems and electronics all pump chemical Vapors into our home, causing the air quality to decrease. there are several plants which improve the air quality of our house – 

1)Peace lily

2) Snake plant

3)English ivy

4)Bamboo palm

5)Areca Palm

These plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen . They also behave as natural humidifiers by releasing moisture into the air and helps to purify the air by removing common indoor air pollution such as ammonia, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and Benzene.

Medicinal herbs used for asthma

1)Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

The Licorice root has been used traditionally to restore breathing and calm the breathing passageways.

2) Adhatoda (Adhatoda vasica )

This herb is found at Lower altitudes in India and South east Asia .The leaf has been used for centuries to treat Asthma where it works as a bronchodilator and mild expectorant . Adhatoda also works by decreasing the viscosity of mucous to assist with expectoration.

3) Ginkgo Biloba

This is the oldest herb which is used to treat asthma. For asthma Sufferers, ginkgo works to an inhibit PAF( platelet activating factor), a powerful inducer of platelet aggregator and anaphylactic reactions.

4) Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

It has been used in Medicinally as a cough suppressant. This plant has been used in historical times to treat lung ailments such as asthma as well as various coughs by the way of smoking.

5) Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric has been used as a colouring agent, spice and Medicine for thousands of years. the active

constituents are the diarylhepanoids including curcumin which are found in the vividly yellow rhizome . In an uncontrolled trial in India, 60% of Asthma patients given 6- 12 grams of turmeric powder that had been fried in ghee showed a relief in their symptoms. Curcumin is a powerful Aunti-inflammatory in both acute and chronic conditions.

How covid – 19 affects asthma patients ?

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) pandemic is scary for all people, but for those with asthma there is a great fear that they will have a worse outcome or be more likely to get SARS-CoV-2 ( the virus that causes covid -19) . It is important to know that currently there is no evidence of increased infectionrates in those with asthma and although the Centers for Disease Control and prevention states that patient with moderate- severe asthma could be a greater risk for more severe disease. There are no published Data to support this determination at this time. There has been one report suggesting that based on a small number of patients and in the opposite direction are data from New York where is asthma was under - represented in those who died from covid-19. The best thing a person with asthma can do is to get and keep their Asthma under control . Stopping a controller medication will put the person at risk for developing an asthma exacerbation.