Bronchitis is a disease affecting the respiratory tract with coughing, inflammation and chest congestion. It is often the result of a viral infection that may start in your sinuses or throat and spreads to your airways. Herbs may help relieve symptoms of bronchitis; taking herbs in tea form is often very soothing. However, herbs can cause side effects and possibly worsen your condition. Consult your health practitioner before using any unfamiliar herbs for your condition.
Symptoms
Acute bronchitis is usually related to a virus. Its symptoms eventually arise in the chest. They include a cough with green or yellow mucus, a burning pain in the chest when coughing, wheezing and throat pain. Chronic bronchitis also has wheezing symptoms, a chronic cough that is productive, swelling of the extremities, and blue discoloration of the lips. Breathing is usually very difficult.
Herbal Tea
Herbal tea is one of several methods of taking herbs. The nice thing about herbal tea is that you can use fresh or dried herbs or herbal extracts and powders. The technique of making herb tea is essentially the same for any herb, unless your prescriber tells you something specific about making your tea. Add the prescribed amount of herbs to 2 to 4 cups of water and boil for 5 minutes. Lower the flame and allow the tea to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain the herbs and pour a cup of tea when it has cooled to your liking. Left over tea can be stored in the refrigerator and consumed cold or reheated. Do not boil when reheating herb tea.
Echinacea
Echinacea is an immune system enhancer and may act protect you against getting a cold or virus, which leads to an attack of acute bronchitis. Anecdotal evidence indicates that people using echinacea lessened their risk of getting a cold or flu by several days. Additionally, using echinacea helps speed recovery during the illness. Echinacea is excellent when combined with other herbs in tea. It is available in powder or extract form, and the liquid extract is what you should use when making tea. Consult your practitioner for guidelines for dosing. Do not use echinacea if you are pregnant, nursing or suffer from an autoimmune disease.
Sundew
Sundew may relieve coughing and congestion from both acute and chronic bronchitis attacks. It is indicated for spasmodic coughing that starts from a tickle or irritation in the throat and chest. Sundew is a bitter herb and best used with a small amount of honey or stevia to sweeten your tea. You can use sundew on it's own or add echinacea and other herbs to your tea. Consult your herbalist for guidelines for dosing.
Mullein
Mullein is a common herb used in many herbal cough preparations. It clears the lungs of mucus and congestion and is considered an expectorant. If you use mullein to make an herbal tea, it is important to remove any seeds and fibers that may remain from the leaves and flowers. To do this, strain the tea through a fine cloth after you have removed as much of the herbs as possible. Mullein can be used in a mixture of herbs to make herbal tea or used on its own. Check with your practitioner for dosing guidelines.
Other Considerations
If you use dried herbs, always get them from a supplier that moves his stock regularly to ensure they are as potent as possible. Herbal tea does not have a long shelf life once it has been made. Only keep your brewed tea for three or four days at most, even when refrigerated. If you develop any new symptoms or your existing symptoms persist or worsen, contact your health practitioner.
References
- "Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: The Definitive Home Reference Guide to 550 Key Herbs with all their Uses as Remedies for Common Ailments"; Andrew Chevallier; 2000
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Cough
- AltMD: Herbal Remedies for Whooping Cough
- Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin -- La Cross: Herbs
- University of Maryland: Bronchitis
- "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook: Your Everyday Reference to the Best Herbs for Healing"; James Duke; 2002
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