Herbal treatment in asthma and COPD – current evidence

Asthma and COPD are chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases affecting millions of people worldwide andincreasing in prevalence. Current treatment options for both conditions aim to alleviate symptoms, improve patientquality of life and prevent disease progression rather than cure the underlying condition itself. Treatments availableto patients include anti-inflammatory therapies, bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids. While these treatmentshave been deemed effective at alleviating disease symptoms and exacerbations they are not without theirlimitations. Overuse of some therapies can induce adverse effects in some patients such as increased risk ofdeveloping pneumonia and cardiac co-morbidities. Along with the risks of side effects not all patients will respondto the current treatment options and therefore there is an unmet need for additional or alternative treatments forasthma and COPD. One such area showing good promise in providing an alternative or add-on therapy is that ofphytomedicine. Phytomedicine is defined as a plant-based traditional medical practice that uses various plantmaterials in modalities considered both preventive and therapeutic. This review focuses on recent human clinical trials using plant-based medicines for the treatment of asthma and COPD.