Asthma is a word from the Greeks which means to pant or to be short of breath. It is known to be a condition which results because of the bodies’ reaction to one or more things that it is allergic to. Most asthma patients get many attacks of being breathless, but in between these attacks they are normal.
Sufferers of asthma may appear to be gasping for each breath. In fact, it’s the breathing out that is more of a problem then the breathing in. This is caused by involuntary muscle contractions of the small airways in the lungs.
There are a number of different causes of asthma. Usually it’s an allergy to something such as food, weather, drugs, perfumes or anything else that might irritate the lungs. Dust and mould are the most common of these reasons.
There are a number of remedies and natural cures that are available. One is a treatment that uses honey and it is the most common of the home remedies for treating asthma. Hold a jug of honey under the nose of the asthma sufferer and have them inhale the air that the honey comes in contact with and the person with the asthma starts to breath easier and more deeply.
A fruit that has proven valuable to asthma sufferers as an asthma remedy, is the fig. They help to drain off phlegm, therefore giving comfort to the patient. About three to four dry figs are to be cleaned carefully with warm water and then to be soaked overnight.
Another fruit that has been found to be beneficial with the treatment of asthma is the lemon. Squeeze the juice of one whole lemon and combine it with a glass of water. Drink it with meals to achieve good results.
The use of Indian gooseberries is another of the asthma remedies that is common. Combine about five grams of fresh gooseberries with one tablespoon of honey to make a very medicinal tonic for treating asthma. The tonic should be taken each morning.
Using the roots of the bitter gourd has been part of folk medicine and used for treating asthma since the early ages. Make a paste of the root and combine a teaspoon of it with equal parts of honey or the juice of basil leaves. Take the medicine once each night for a month and is an excellent medicine for the treatment of asthma.
Prepare a soup made from drumstick leaves by adding about a handful of the leaves to about 180 ml of water and boil the mixture for about five minutes. Allow it to cool and add salt and pepper and lime juice and take it once a day for a beneficial treatment for asthma.
A very good expectorant can be made from combining a teaspoon of ginger, a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste. Make the fenugreek decoction by mixing a tablespoon of the seeds in a cup of water. This is a remedy to be taken in the morning and again at night.
Another very effective asthma remedy is the use of garlic. Boil ten cloves of garlic and 30 ml of milk to make an excellent remedy for asthma in its early stages to be taken once every day. Ginger tea combined with two cloves of garlic that have been minced works to control the asthma and is to be taken both in the morning and at night.
The use of bishops weed and safflower have been found valuable as a treatments also. The bishops weed can be combined with buttermilk and drank twice a day and is a good expectorant to release dried up phlegm. Making a hot poultice of the seeds can be applied to the chest twice a day. Mixing the powdered seeds of the safflower with a tablespoon of honey is a daily treatment for asthma. It is an expectorant and can reduce spasms by thinning out mucus.