ABSTRACT
Asthma is a dangerous disease of the respiratory system. It affects about 4-5% population of the world and causes about 5000 deaths every year from 10 million patients with asthma at risk. In the materia medica of Unani system of Medicine, there are many medicinal plants attributed with bronchodilating, anti-histaminic and expectorant activities. These herbs can exhibit similar effect in asthma as modern synthetic drugs including bronchodilators, corticosteroids and mucolytic agents. Therefore we have evaluated the effect of a polyherbal formulation [comprising Adhatoda vasica, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Hyssopus officinal is] in patients with mild to moderate asthma. Twenty-five patients of mild to moderate asthma with positive history of allergy were included in the study. Main parameters included frequency of dyspnoea, rate of respiration and peak expiratory flow rate [PEFR]. These parameters were measured before the start of the study and during the study at a regular interval of 15 days for six weeks. It was found that after six weeks treatment, frequency of dyspnoea per week, rate of respiration and PEFR were 0.5 +/- 70 [205 +/- 74]*. Changes in all these parameters were statistically significant [p<0.001] as compared to baseline values. It was concluded that treatment with polyherbal formulation for six weeks results in significant improvement in the frequency of dyspnoea, rate of respiration and peak expiratory flow rate [PEFR] in asthma