I just got home from the hospital where I was told I have not only bronchitis but asthma. I knew I have bronchitis as when I lived in the (polluted) city I had chronic bronchitis. My father had asthma, so I'm not too surprised at the prognosis. Anyway, are there any herbs that will help me?

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), September 30, 2001

Answers

I have heard that Mullein (sp?) is supposed to be good for Asthma.You make a tea from the leaf. We were tickled to spot it growing in the road at our new homestead in West Va. It is a pale green color, many leaves clustered from the core of the plant. The leaves have a felt like outside, about the size of the palm of a larger hand. "Stinging" Nettles have vitamin C and anti-histamine properties, which will help alergies. As I understand it, Alergies flaring up, result in Asthma reactions. The nettles have helped me greatly. Here is the part people don't like to hear. Eat healthy, whole foods, avoiding processed, refined foods as much as possible. We are growing older, and it is harder than before for our digestive systems to provide the raw materials to keep our bodies going. (my kids both work at the best bakery in town - and they bring treats home all of the time - so it is sometimes hard to practice what I preach.). Good Luck.

-- rick K (rick_122@hotmail.com), September 30, 2001.

I've heard that it's important to limit milk products to keep asthma under control. My 6 year old has it, and this is extremely hard to do at her age. I have used the homeopathic pills "spongia tosta" derived from sea sponge for her milder attacks of asthma. I only use the inhaler thing when the condition gets more serious. Any good healthfood store that carries homeopathic stuff should have those pills.

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), September 30, 2001.

Mullein for sure. It is a bronchial dilator. You can get the herb at the health food store if you can't find it growing (it has big fuzzy gray-green leaves, and forms a tall, spiky "candle" with yellow flowers on the end of the spike) It is well past its growing season here (NC), but in the far south, it may still be around. Tea is good, but also can be inhaled through a steamer or humidifier, and the leavs are also effective when smoked, although that's not the best habit to get into if you have ashtma!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 30, 2001.

Ardie,

This is not herb related, but may be worth a look if have not already been there. www.watercure2.com Hope it helps you out.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), September 30, 2001.

Ardie, please be careful before you take specific herbs. I don't know if you are taking any medications on a daily basis but you'll need to take that into consideration before you do. I have nothing against herbs - I use them myself - but just want you to be careful. Herbs can be powerful if you don't know which ones to use - it would help you considerably to purchase a book that has all the pros & cons of each herb - that way you won't take something you shouldn't have.

-- Pat (mikulptrc@aol.com), September 30, 2001.

Thank you, Pat, for your concern. I have a few herbal books, but I I respect the opinions of the people here a lot. I don't plan on taking anything for awhile as I am on prednisone. I hate this med as it has some really bizarre side effects, but it works. I also take a BP med plus a beta blocker so I have to be VERY careful. Hell, I take so many pills I am surprised I don't rattle! Take care and God bless!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), September 30, 2001.

Ardie, I think it is equally important to make your bedroom as allergy free as possible. Take out the carpeting, and put an air purifier in. This way you can have at least eight hours of clean air.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), September 30, 2001.

Ardie,

On page 17 of the Sep/Oct 2001 Countryside there is a reader contrib on a strict diet to relieve allergies. quite possibly some of the precautions could alleviate your symptoms also.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 30, 2001.

Ardie, my herbalist has his own web page and it has some great information. The web address is ... herbpage. Hope this helps. Kim :-D

-- Kim in Indiana (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), October 01, 2001.

sorry my web link didn't come thru. the addy is wwww.herbpage.com :-D

-- Kim (kwcountrygirl@aol.com), October 01, 2001.

Freeing up the bedroom from allergens - many people forget the mattress and pillows. I read somewhere that ten-year old ones could be as much as half their weight in dander (skin flakes), mould, house dust mites, and house dust mite faeces - inside the covers out of sight. This is not the sort of thing someone whose breathing problems could be triggered by allergies wants to be sleeping on - or the rest of us either. One help in preventing this sort of build up is to use one of those thin quited mattress protectors, and wash it fairly regularly. However, if you haven't been doing this, and things are over say five years old, it may be time to start budgeting for replacements - FAST.

Also bear in mind that some herbal treatments are, for some people, powerful allergens. Echinacea is one such - OK for most people, but for the unlucky few it can trigger attacks which have literally killed some asthmatics.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 01, 2001.

stinging nettle and i guess just plain nettle shouldnt be taken if you have high blood pressure,

-- j schlicker (schlicker54@aol.com), October 01, 2001.

Like Don mentioned buying quilted mattress pads and frequently washing, my physician suggested purchasing the zippered plastic covers for both boxspring and mattress. You only need wipe those down with a damp rag, then dry it. I'm asthmatic. I've outgrown most of my food allergies, but still have allergies to bee/wasp/hornet stings, molds, mildews, etc.

Debi

-- Debi Beeuwsaert (beeuwsae@msu.edu), October 01, 2001.

And consider a nasty letter to your town council. Because they don't want to pay afew dollars to clean up the messy fruit of most flowering trees, they plant all males (the pollen producers), upseting the natural balance of pollen available and receptors available to sweep it out of the air. Hence high pollen counts. Arizona, once a haven for asthmatics, is now almost as bad as the rest of the country as it has grown and been developed, along with all the flowering male trees that come with that.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

LOL, we live in the country so I have to blame Mother Nature for what's planted. Seriously, I believe it is dust and I live in a very old farmhouse. Also, when the neighbors are cutting alfafa,corn or hay I will have a bit of trouble. I suspect that this bout is also a part of a cold as my nose keeps stuffing up And, realize that in the city which has paper mills, I had to take STRONG med all the time. This bout is mild compared to then. Isn't this forum nice! Just like having a bunch of neighbors over for pie and coffee!

-- Ardie from Wi (ardie54965@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

Sage tea to help breathing, and eucaliptus oil added to sheets when washed to get rid of mites.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), October 01, 2001.

Hi Ardie! I have chronic bronchitis and I have found licorice root to be a lot of help with it, it thins the secretions in your lungs and acts like a natural expectorant, do not take more than 8 weeks at a time if you have HBP, give yourself a month off, then take again another cycle. Take 2 capsules three times a day, organic licorice if you can find it.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), October 01, 2001.