Herbal Medicines for Common Breathing Problems

When you are short of breath, you may feel like you can''t get enough air or your chest may feel tight. Sometimes the feeling is worse when you are physically active or when you lie down flat.

Breathing problems are becoming more common as air becomes more polluted. Many alternative therapies, especially herbal medicine and homeopathy, can help in many of the more common conditions that affect the respiratory system.

Coughs

Coughing is the body''s natural way of clearing irritation and congestion from the lungs and airways. A dry cough is reacting to an irritant, a productive cough helps to expel congested phlegm. A common cold or influenza is usually accompanied by a cough. But coughs can be a sign of other respiratory problems (a hoarse cough may indicate laryngitis in an adult and croup or whooping cough in a child), or more serious breathing disorders (see Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Emphysema, and Asthma).

Treatment

Herbal Medicine Make infusions of the following:

for most coughs white horehound is effective

for a hard cough use mullein

for an irritating cough in adults use wild lettuce, and in children wild cherry bark (a mild sedative)

for a cough with a fever use yarrow or angelica

for a catarrhal cough use elecampane or elderflower.

Diet and Nutrition Biochemic tissue salts, taken in tablet form:

for a hard, dry cough with fever - Ferrum phos.

for a cough with thick, white phlegm - Kali mur.

for a cough with yellow phlegm that is worse at night - Kali sulf.

for a spasmodic painful cough - Magnesia phos.

for a loose, rattling cough with watery phlegm ­Calcarea, alternating with Ferrum phos.

Aromatherapy Massage chest and back with essential oils-eucalyptus, sandalwood, frankincense, and myrrh are recommended. Add essential oils to hot water and inhale to help expel phyegm. For a dry, hard cough, try cypress, hyssop, bergamot, or cammomile oil used as steam inhalations.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Acupressure Coughing spasms in the upper back can be relieved by pressure on the point between the shoulder blade and spine, at heart level.

Acupuncture An imbalance in the flow of energy to the lungs can be treated by inserting needles into the Lung meridian on the arms, or into the meridian of another organ with a related rhythm.

Bronchitis/wheezing

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways that connect the windpipe to the lungs (bronchi). Acute bronchitis lasts up to two weeks and is caused by a variety of viruses and bacteria. It can be dangerous in the elderly and those with heart disease. Chronic bronchitis is more serious and can last for months, getting progressively worse. It is usually caused by breathing polluted air or smoking. Coal miners and construction workers, for example, are particularly susceptible.

Symptoms of bronchitis include a persistent cough producing phlegm, breathlessness, chest pains, fever, and headache.

Treatment

Aromatherapy Take deep inhalations of eucalyptus and sweet thyme.

Herbal Medicine A cupful of elecampane infusion, three times daily, can be helpful in clearing mucus and easing a bronchial cough. And taking garlic capsules every night in winter and herbal teas cold twice daily may help prevent a recurrence of acute bronchitis.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Homeopathy Remedies will be prescribed for the individual case but may include the following: Aconite 6c for fever, tight chest, tickly cough, and thirst might be recommended; Kali bich. 6c when there is loose white sputum, a rattling cough, and irritability; Phosphorus 6c for voice loss, burning throat, cough, and thirst; Pulsatilla for dry cough at night when lying down, lack of thirst, and loose green sputum in the morning.

Traditional Chinese Medicine This treatment aims to improve lung energy with remedies such as plantain seed, balloon flower root, honeysuckle flowers, or gardenia fruit.

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