Home Remedies for Bronchitis:
Ayurvedic Medicines and Home Remedies for Bronchitis- Bronchitis is a respiratory disease. It is the inflammation of inner lining of bronchial tubes which is the main passage of air in lungs is occurred. In Ayurveda bronchitis is known as Shwasa Pranali Shoth.
Types of Bronchitis:
Bronchitis may be acute or chronic:
Acute:
It is also known as a chest cold. It is short term illness followed by cold or viral infection. The infection may last from a few to ten days. A cough may persist for several weeks afterward with the total duration of symptoms usually around three weeks. Some have symptoms for up to six weeks.
Chronic:
It is long term illness. It is defined as a productive cough with excessive mucus that lasts for three months or more per year for at least two years, mostly people with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Ayurvedic View:
Bronchial asthma is known as tamaka svassa in Ayurveda. This medical science emphasises on gastro-intestinal factors apart from the respiratory afflictions to be the cause of bronchial asthma. That is why in the preliminary stage of the disease or just before its onset, the patient complains of indigestion, constipation or diarrhea.
It is mainly a kapha syndrome, though differentiation of humoural types also exists. In other words, bronchial asthma can be from any of the three humours—vaata, Pitta or kapha. Most often, the disease is kapha in nature.
Vaata type asthma, is characterized by the dry cough and wheezing. Additional symptoms are thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, constipation, anxiety, and craving for warm drinks. Attacks occur predominantly at vaata time—dawn and dusk.
Pitta type asthma is characterized by a cough and wheezing with yellow phlegm. Other symptoms are fever, sweating, irritability and need for cool air. Attacks are at pitta time—noon and midnight.
Kapha type asthma is characterized by a cough and wheezing with abundant clear or white phlegm. The lungs are often congested producing a whistling sound.
Attacks are at kapha time—morning and evening.
Causes:
- Continuous smoking
- Long- term exposure to air pollution, chemicals
- Old age
- Weak immune system
- Repeated attack of acute bronchitis
symptoms
- A Constant cough with mucus
- Chest discomfort
- Chest pain
- Tiredness
- Low-grade fever
- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
- Wheezing
- A lingering dry cough even after the infection clears up
- Loss of appetite
- Nasal congestion
- Hoarse throat
Home Remedies for Bronchitis:
- Mix half a teaspoon of ginger with half teaspoon each of pepper and cloves. This combination can be blended with a little honey to make it more palatable or had a tea infusion. There are compounds in ginger, pepper, and cloves that help reduce fever and improve the immunity of the person suffering from bronchitis.
- Add half a teaspoon of turmeric to a glass of milk and drink this thrice a day. This natural remedy is a best home remedies for bronchitis in children is more effective when taken on an empty stomach.
- Infuse spinach leaves in water and add a pinch of honey and ammonium chloride. Drink this as a natural expectorant to loosen phlegm and reduce chest pain.
- Powder the kernels of almonds and mix this powder in a glass of orange juice. Drink this every night before sleeping.
- Use the powder of dry chicory root mixed in honey. When taken thrice daily, this is one of the most effective chronic home remedies for bronchitis
- If you do suffer from shortness of breath or tightness in the chest, rubbing turpentine over the chest can offer some much- needed relief.
- Warm salt water gargles can also help to loosen the phlegm and reduce constriction that you may feel in your chest.
- The best way to treat bronchitis is by getting adequate rest.
Diet and Other Considerations Along with Home Remedies for Bronchitis :
- Avoid foods that can aggravate asthma. Common foods, which trigger asthma, are animal foods, milk products, food items which take more than two hours to digest, mucous producing foods such as curd, bananas, sugar, sweets, black gram, etc.
- Drink plenty of liquids, 8 to 10 glasses a day, to keep secretions loose.
- Change in weather, exposure to moulds, animal dander, grass or tree pollen triggers asthmatic attacks. Certain food colorings and preservatives may trigger asthma. Drugs, such as aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors can precipitate an asthma attack.
- Make a special effort to keep your bedroom allergen-free. Sleep with a foam or cotton pillow, not a feather pillow.
- Use a plastic cover over the mattress. If possible, wash your mattress in hot water every week.
- Dust your room often, but not with a broomstick. Vacuum cleaning is the better option. Wear a dust filter mask when you do so.
- Avoid using perfumes.
- Wear a scarf round your mouth and nose in cold weather. Doing so will warm the air as you breathe in and will prevent cold air from reaching sensitive airways.
- Mild exercise, like swimming, is good for asthmatics. However, some asthmatics are allergic to chlorine, which rules out swimming in a public pool.
- During an asthma attack, sit up straight or bend forward. Do not lie down.
- If you have an air conditioner, change its filter regularly.
- Make a paste of rock-salt and old ghee or mustard oil. Rub it on the chest. Alternately, you can massage Saindhavaadi tailam on the chest.
- For an acute asthma attack, try steam inhalation. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a bowl of hot water. Cover your head and the bowl with a towel. Be careful that the water is not so hot that the steam burns your face.
- You should not suppress natural urges like urination, thirst, and cough. Also, you must avoid smoking and move in the sun.
- Curd, buttermilk, bananas, guavas and fried foods are to be avoided. All sour substances should be banned. Smoking—both active and passive, should be strictly prohibited.
Some Herbs Used in Bronchitis:
- Vanshlochan (Bambusa arudinacea)
- Pippali (Pipper longum)
- Curcumin (Curcuma longa)
- Ela (Elletrica cardomomum)
- Dalchini (Cinnamomum zeylanica)
- Vasaka(Adhathoda vasica)
- Tulsi (Ocimum scnactum)
Classical Medicines:
- Kaphaketu Ras
- Sitopladi Churna
Deep Ayurveda Patent Medicine:
- Curcurmin Herbal Capsule
- Respocare Herbal powder
- Respocare Herbal Syrup
Article Author : Dr. Baldeep Kour– Editor in Chief – “Ayurveda For Healthy Living ” (Ayurveda magazine publishing from Chandigarh ), Medical Director & Co-Founder of Deep Ayurevda. A renowned ayurvedic doctor of Chandigarh.
Statutory warning : Self medication can be very dangerous. Always use ayurvedic medicine under the strict supervision of an ayurvedic doctor.
