Healing Foods for Asthma
Of all of the respiratory ills, asthma may be the most mysterious. What doctors know is that people with asthma have bronchial tubes that are easily aggravated by cold, dust mites, pollen, and a host of other triggers. When these sensitive airways are irritated, they clench down, making breathing a trial. And to make things worse, the body produces extra mucus with asthma, further clogging up the airways. Chronic inflammation of the lungs seems to be the underlying problem, although no one knows why it occurs.
Because asthma varies from one person to the next, herbalists apply distinctly different approaches. So if you have asthma and want to try herbs, it is a good idea to see a qualified herbalist. Of course, checking with your doctor before you try any new herbs must be done first.
Foods fight asthma:
Favor flavonoid rich fruits and vegetables to fight the inflammation that comes with asthma. Flavonoids are tiny crystals in foods like onions, apples, blueberries and prickly pears. The flavonoids are what give these foods their blue, yellow, or reddish hughes. The benefits of flavonoids are strengthening capillary walls and being an antioxidant. So they are thought to protect the membranes in the airways from being damaged from pollution.
Horsetail has been known to stregthen lungs and alveolar sacs. The sacs at the bottom of the bronchial tubes where your body exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen. Horsetail contains flavonoids, silica and other minerals that help the alveolar sacs maintain their elasticity. Try using 20 drops a day of horsetail extract. Results can take between six weeks and six months.
Grindelia has been know to prevent asthma spasms. It is a very good antispasmodic, which means it helps relax smooth muscles like those found in airways. So it works to prevent the bronchial tubes from constricting. It is also a bronchodilator, which opens bronchi that are already constricted. Try 20 to 30 drops of extract two or three times a day.
Ginko needs more research to determine it’s effectiveness against asthma. But herbalists recommend taking this ancient Chinese herb. When you have asthma, histamine, along with several other substances are released when you are exposed to an allergy trigger. The substances cause the spasms of the bronchial muscles. Ginkgo contains compounds called ginkgolides that inhibit the platelet activating factor. It is this response that herbalists believe could help improve some types of allergies linked to asthma.
