TCM Treatments for Asthma
By Andrew Gaeddert
Asthma has dramatically risen worldwide over the past decades, particularly in developed countries, and experts are puzzled over the cause of this increase. The mechanisms that cause asthma are complex and vary among population groups and even from individual to individual. Many asthma sufferers have allergies, and some researchers are targeting common factors in both these conditions. Not all people with allergies have asthma, however, and not all cases of asthma can be explained by allergic response.
Asthma is most likely caused by a convergence of factors that can include genetics and infections, dietary patterns, hormonal changes in women, and allergens.
Nearly half of adults with asthma have an allergy-related condition, which, in most cases developed first in childhood. (In patients who first develop asthma during adulthood, the allergic response usually does not play a strong causal role.) Important irritants or allergens include dust mites, animal dander, pollen, molds, fungi, and cockroaches.
Certain chemicals may trigger allergic rhinitis. Some experts believe that refined fossil fuels, such as diesel fuel and particularly kerosene, may be important triggers for allergic rhinitis and in people who already have allergies or asthma, exposure to such fossil fuels may worsen symptoms.
Double-blind research shows that fish oil partially reduces reactions to allergens that can trigger attacks in some asthmatics1. Another double-blind study showed that fish oil supplements prevented exercise- induced asthma attacks in people with asthma2.
Dry and his colleagues have shown positive results using a small placebo-controlled trial of low-dose EPA (1g/day) for 12 months in 12 adult asthmatics; after 9 months a small but significant improvement in air flow was observed3. Additional studies suggest that fish oil reduces inflammatory markers and improves air-flow in asthmatic patients.
There is evidence that children who eat oily fish may have a much lower risk of getting asthma4. Moreover, in a double-blind trial, children who received 300mg per day of fish oil (providing 84mg of EPA and 36mg of DHA) experienced significant improvement of asthma symptoms5. It should be noted that these benefits were obtained under circumstances in which exposure to food allergens and environmental allergens was strictly controlled.
EPAQ krill oil, in addition to containing highly absorbable EPA and DHA, has been found to be much more absorbable than standard fish oil products. EPAQ does not cause burping or other digestive reactions noted standard fish oil products.
Cordyceps has been used as a food, single herb, and an ingredient in multi-herb formula for asthma. — Cordyceps tonifies the kidney yang and nourishes liver yin, transforms phlegm and stops bleeding. It typically treats wheezing from deficiency or productive coughs. Because it tonifies both yin and yang, it is seen as a safe ingredient for long term use. In a fifty-patient study conducted at Beijing Medical University, asthma patients who had poor air flow (20 percent FEV1), thirty-two patients received 3g per day of cordyceps, while the control group received the antihistamine astemizole for ten days. The total effective rate in the cordyceps group was 81.3 percent. Sixteen patients achieved a greater than 20 percent difference in FEV1 scores and improved FEV1 levels in ten patients. Subjects in the antihistamine group had a total effective rate of 61.1 percent.
Typical response time was five days for the cordyceps group and nine days in the antihistamine group6. Cordyceps is also beneficial in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, COPD, and other respiratory conditions.
Lung Formulas
Cordyceps PS – Indications: improves lung function, addresses conditions as asthma, wheezing, and chronic cough.
Ingredients: Cordyceps fruiting body (dong chong xia cao)
Lily Bulb – Indications: nourish and moistens dry lungs while clearing heat.
Ingredients: Lily bulb (bai he), Rehmannia (raw & cooked) root (sheng & shi di huang), Ophiopogon tuber (mai men dong), Fritillaria bulb (chuan bei mu),
Platycodon root (jie geng), Tang kuei root (dang gui), White peony root (bai shao), Licorice root (gan cao) Scrophularia root (xuan shen)
Clear Air – Indications: ventilates the lungs, dispels phlegm and stops cough.
Ingredients: Perilla fruit (su zi), Cynanchum root & rhizome (bai qian), Apricot seed (xing ren), Morus cortex (sang bai pi), Trichosanthes root (tian hua fen), Fritillaria bulb (zhe bei mu), Platycodon root (jie geng), Aster root (zi wan), Belamcanda rhizome (she gan), Scute root (huang qin), Schisandra fruit (wu wei zi), Licorice root (gan cao), Pinellia rhizome (ban xia), Tylophora leaf extract (tylophora indica)
CordySeng – Indications: addresses symptoms of chronic bronchitis and asthma, improves oxygen utilization
Ingredients: Cordyceps fruiting body (dong chong xia cao), Ganoderma (reishi) fruiting body (ling zhi), Astragalus root (huang qi), American Ginseng root (xi yang shen), Licorice root (gan cao), Ginger rhizome (gan jiang)
Clear Phlegm – Indications: treats copious phlegm and acts as an expectorant and sedative.
Ingredients: Pinellia rhizome (ban xia), Citrus peel (chen pi), Poria sclerotium (fu ling), Aurantium fruit (zhi shi), Bamboo shavings (zhu ru), Arisaema rhizome (tian nan xing), Agastache herb (huo xiang), Acorus rhizome (shi chang pu), Licorice (gan cao
Notes:
- 1. Arm JP, Horton CE, EiserNM, et al. The effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil on asthmatic responses to antigen. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1988;81:183.
- 2. Mickleborough TD, Lindley MR, Ionescu AA, Fly AD. Protective effect of fish oil supplementation on exercise induced bronchoconstriction in asthma. Chest. 2006;129:39-49.
- 3. Dry,Vincent J. Effect of a fish oil diet on asthma: results of a 1-year double-blind study. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1991;95(2-3):156-7.
- 4. Hodge L, Salome CM, Peat JK, et al. Consumption of oily fish and childhood asthma risk.Med J Austral 1996;164:137-40.
- 5. Nagakura T,Matsuda S, Shichijyo K, et al. Dietary supplementation with fish oil rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in children with bronchial asthma. Eur Respir J 2000;16:861-5.
- 6. Halpern M.D., PhD., Georges M. Cordyceps: China’s Healing Mushroom. New York. Avery Publishing Group, GardenCityPark. 1999.