How to Use Herbs to Treat Asthma
Asthma is a disorder that causes the airways to the lungs to become obstructed. It's estimated that 4 percent of the American population suffers from asthma, which can cause painful chest spasms and a tight feeling in the chest. You may have difficulty breathing or start wheezing. The primary cause of asthma is unknown; but it can be triggered by allergies, anxiety, exercise, stress and fear. The main form of treatments for asthma are inhalers and breathing therapies. However, there's a natural alternative to treating asthma. Herbs like garlic and primrose oil can be helpful for preventing inflammation and encouraging relaxation of essential muscles. Follow these steps to learn more.
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Instructions
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Use Herbs to Treat Asthma Symptoms
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Relax your bronchial smooth muscle with lobelia. This herb is very powerful. Occasional use should provide the desired effects.
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Eliminate chest congestion by using mullein oil. For immediate effects, take mullein oil in a tea or in juice form.
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Prevent inflammation in your air passages by taking garlic. The active ingredient in garlic is alliin. It's a powerful antibiotic that suppresses the enzyme responsible for inflammation.
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Take kyolic as an alternative to garlic. Although kyolic has the same anti-inflammatory properties as garlic, it's odorless and comes in tablet, capsule or extract form.
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Use primrose oil, also known as evening primrose, to combat inflammation. Primrose oil contains essential fatty acids needed in the production of prostaglandins.
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Explore more about asthma, including how to treat it with herbs, by paying a visit to the "Cleveland Clinic Health Information Center" Web site (see Resources below).
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Tips & Warnings
You can pick up a wide variety of herbs to treat asthma at your local health food store. The price for individual herbs will depend on how rare a given herb is and how it was grown. Most herbs are inexpensive to moderately-priced. You can also search for the herbs you want online.
While herbal remedies may be helpful in controlling asthma, they should never be used in life-threatening circumstances. If you have asthma and experience shortness of breath, tightness in your chest cavity, loss of consciousness or difficulty breathing, call your doctor immediately or go to the hospital.
Consult MayoClinic.com to learn how educate yourself about alternative medicine claims (see Resources below). Learn how to assess those claims before you make your treatment decision.
