Bronchitis causes inflammation of the bronchial passages to your lungs. Several main types of bronchitis exist. Acute bronchitis typically develops from a cold contracted by a virus or a bacterial infection, while chronic bronchitis occurs most commonly in people who smoke cigarettes. If you have chronic bronchitis with emphysema, this condition is known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. You can use many herbs to treat and prevent bronchitis or at least to ease your symptoms.
Andrographis
Andrographis can help to reduce your risk of developing bronchitis and ease your symptoms, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Andrographis is an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine that is sometimes combined with eleuthero, or Eleutherococcus senticosus, to alleviate cold symptoms.
Echinacea
You can take echinacea to help prevent colds that lead to bronchitis. Echinacea helps to fight infections by stimulating your immune system, explains the University of Michigan Health System. The University of Maryland Medical Center points to medical studies that found taking echinacea can reduce the risk of contracting a cold and the duration of a cold. For bronchitis, the University of Maryland recommends that you take 300mg of echinacea three times daily.
Essential Oils
You can use the essential oil monoterpenes to treat both acute and chronic bronchitis. It is actually a combination of essential oils like eucalyptus, citrus and pine extract, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center. Eucalyptus has been used in traditional medicine to fight infections, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Studies have found that using this oil can help to treat bronchitis as effectively as some antibiotics, the University of Maryland says. "Numerous double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, many of substantial size, indicate that essential oil monoterpenes can aid recovery from sinusitis, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions," notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Garlic
Take garlic to prevent colds and reduce the duration of colds. The University of Maryland Medical Center cites a study that found that people who took garlic for 12 weeks had 63 percent fewer colds, and those who contracted colds recovered approximately one day quicker than those who took the placebo.
Ginseng
You can take ginseng to prevent bronchitis. Taking 400mg per day of ginseng supplements can help to prevent colds that lead to bronchitis, says the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Ivy Leaf
Ivy leaf can treat your bronchitis. Ivy leaf is used medicinally to treat chronic inflammatory bronchial conditions like bronchitis, says the University of Michigan Health System. Ivy leaf acts as an anti-inflammatory and nondemulcent. Double-blind clinical trials in humans have found that ivy leaf can work to treat bronchitis as effectively as the prescription drug Ambroxol, the University of Michigan notes.
Lobelia
Lobelia has been used historically as an herbal treatment for many different respiratory ailments, including bronchitis, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Also called Indian tobacco, lobelia acts as an expectorant, helping to clear mucus from your lungs. Lobelia also acts as an antitussive to relieve coughs, an anti-inflammatory to reduce inflammation of your bronchi and an antispasmodic to relieve bronchospasms and spasmodic cough, says the University of Michigan Health System.
Mullein
Like lobelia, mullein is also an expectorant that has been traditionally used to treat respiratory illnesses, the University of Maryland Medical Center says. Although the herb hasn't been studied for treating bronchitis, it has merit in treating respiratory ailments with lung congestion. The saponins contained in mullein act as both expectorants to help clear mucus and as anti-inflammatory agents, says the University of Michigan Health System. The University of Maryland recommends that you take 3g per day of mullein to help treat bronchitis.
Peppermint
Peppermint can help to relieve your bronchitis symptoms. Peppermint's active ingredient menthol acts as a decongestant, expectorant and mucus thinner, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Peppermint is commonly used to treat cold symptoms and prevent the development of bronchitis. Peppermint oil has a long history of use as an inhalation treatment for respiratory ailments, although scientific evidence is weak, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
South African Geranium
If you have acute bronchitis, taking South African geranium may help. Preliminary scientific evidence shows that taking an extract of South African geranium, or Pelargonium sidoides, can help people suffering from acute bronchitis to recover quicker and act as effectively as some antibiotics, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Another study found that using 30 drops three times daily of geranium extract for seven days significantly shortened the duration of acute bronchitis illness with no serious side effects that are sometimes associated with antibiotics, says the University of Michigan Health System. Geranium is used as an herbal remedy for respiratory illnesses like bronchitis in Germany, Russia, Mexico and other countries, the University of Michigan notes. By reviewing the results of four placebo-controlled clinical trials, medical researchers found that the standardized extract of South African geranium "performed significantly better than placebo at reducing the symptoms of bronchitis by the seventh day of treatment," says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
