Herbal Cure: Asthma and Cough

by Bhagwan Dash

This book is a part of the series of books on herbal treatment for common ailments. Its aim is to induce people to live closer to nature.

Medical science has made considerable progress in various fields. The era of specialization and the tendency to see man as a chemo-physical conglomeration of many separate parts is giving place to a new genre of biological thinking. This new school of thought is directed towards the concept of man as whole person with his physical, emotional and spiritual aspects inseparably unified in one living individual. The place of man as an organic part of the biological and cosmic universe, subject to all the immutable and irrevocable laws of nature, is being increasingly recognized. In this context, the role of nutrition in preventive and curative medicine has become increasingly evident. In spite of these profound changes taking place in medical thought, today's conventional drug approach is unable to solve the problem of a catastrophic increase in such diseases as cancer, cardio-vascular disorders. diabetes, asthma, arthritis and so forth. Many of these ailments are thought of as "incurable". Practitioners of ancient indigenous systems of medicine which, in fact, do have cures for ailments such as arthritis, and bronchial asthma are derided as quacks. Systematic denunciation of such cures is being done through the new found audio-visual media. People are made to believe that constant use of bronchodilators and cortisone which give temporary relief from acute discomfort and whose continued use renders them ineffective are the only way out. In fact, there are serious side toxic effects as a result of prolonged use of these conventional drugs. The net result of this criminal negligence of these arthritis and asthma patients has left thousands of crippled and unproductive men, women and children all over the world. 

The other side of the story is that in several parts of the world, particularly in the cradles of ancient civilization, there are herbal remedies which have been in use for thousands of years for the treatment of asthma and bronchitis. These herbs are not just used empirically: the enlightened practitioners of traditional medicine in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan will also provide the rationale behind the use of these herbs in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis. The traditional system of medicine prevalent in India and its neighboring countries is a repository of such well-tried herbal drugs. Some of these drugs have been scientifically tried on animals and human beings under controlled conditions and proved to be effective. Some such selected herbal remedies are included in this work. Perhaps someday in the foreseeable future the West will learn from the wisdom of the East. 

About the Author:

Dr. Bhagwan Dash is an ayurvedic physician of repute who has had a considerable role of play in the development of ayurvedic and indigenous medicine in this country. His assignments with WHO hove token him to Bhutan, Mongolia and Bangladesh. He has lectured at Universities in Australia on ayurveda and is the author of more than twenty books on ayurveda.