Herbal Cures For Bronchial Infections

A bronchial infection, also known as bronchitis, is an inflammatory viral disease in your air passages, or bronchi. Bronchitis can be either chronic or acute, and you may experience a sore throat, fever, runny nose, shortness of breath and cough. If you smoke or have a compromised immune system you may be more at risk. Herbs may relieve many of the symptoms of bronchitis and help speed recovery. Consult your health care professional before starting herbal treatment.

Ivy

Ivy, or Hedera helix, is a climbing vine with tiny white flowers and black berries. Traditional healers in Europe and Asia use the leaves to treat coughs, bronchial spasms, rheumatism, nerve pain, tumors, fungal infections, parasites and skin disorders. The active ingredients include hederasaponins, sesquiterpenes, sterols and glycosides, and the plant has expectorant and spasmolytic actions. A study by S. Fazio and colleagues published in the January 2009 issue of "Phytomedicine" tested a syrup containing an extract of the dried leaf on 9657 patients with acute or chronic bronchitis from 11 Latin American countries. The researchers standardized the amount of hederacoside C, the most active saponin in the extract, and patients took the extract in age-related doses. After seven days, 95.1 percent of patients either had improved symptoms or were totally healed. This study supports the traditional use of ivy in treating bronchitis. Do not ingest ivy berries. The leaves may cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.

Croton

Crotons are flowering plants in the spurge family, found throughout the world. Folk healers and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners use the leaves of various species for cough, bronchitis, asthma, pain, edema, phlegm and constipation. The essential oil from the leaves contains active ingredients like bicyclogermacrene, spathulenol, beta-phellandrene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-caryophyllene, caryophylleneoxide, alpha-pinene and 1,8-cineole. A study by L. Pinho-da-Silva and associates published in the August 2010 issue of "Phytomedicine" tested the essential oil from the leaves of Croton sonderianus on animals with induced airway spasms. The study found that the leaf oil opened up the bronchial airways by relaxing the smooth muscles in the trachea. Crotons have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and tinctures or teas may relieve the cough, inflammation and infection of bronchitis. Do not ingest the seeds or seed oil, or apply the seed oil to your skin, as it is toxic.

Thyme

Thyme, or Thymus vulgaris, is an aromatic cooking and medicinal herb native to the Mediterranean. Traditional healers use the leaves, flowers and volatile oil to treat coughs, colds, sore throat, wounds, bronchitis, itching skin and gastrointestinal diseases. The essential oil is rich in thymol, carvacrol, linalool, cineole and alpha-pinene, and has antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and spasmolytic actions. Dr. Linda B. White and Steven Foster recommend thyme tea for bronchitis to fight infection and relieve bronchial cough. They also advise putting thyme in a steamer to inhale the volatile oil. Avoid thyme if you have allergies to plants in the mint family or if you have gastrointestinal disorders.