A Japanese herbal medicine has been found to relieve asthma associated with upper airway disease

In a study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a team from Japan has found a potential cure for asthma in traditional medicine. In particular, they looked at Shin’iseihaito, a traditional herbal medicine usually prescribed for rhinosinusitis, and its efficacy in treating asthma and its related symptoms.

• The researchers investigated whether Shin’iseihaito can be used in patients with asthma who have upper airway disease, as well as determine its characteristics.
• For their research, the team examined medical records of asthmatic patients with upper airway disease. They looked at those who were treated with Shin’iseihaito at least once from September 2011 to February 2015.
• Based on their records, the patients were classified either as responders or non-responders, with the team looking at differences between each group.
• From the findings, they determined that Shin’iseihaito had an efficacy rate of 52.5 percent (21 out of 40 patients). No significant differences in age, sex, or age of asthma onset were noted between the two groups.
• However, the team found that aspirin tolerance, treatment step for asthma, and serum immunoglobin E levels were higher in responders than non-responders. In contrast, no significant difference was seen in the frequency of occurrence for concomitant eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis.

The authors concluded that Shin’iseihaito could be used to treat asthma in patients with upper airway diseases.

Learn more about alternative ways of treating asthma at AlternativeMedicine.news.

Sources include:

Katayama Y, Marumo S, Shima H, Shirata M, Kawashima S, Kitajima T, Inoue D, Itotani R, Sakuramoto M, Fukui M. EFFECTIVENESS OF SHINISEIHAITO IN ASTHMATIC PATIENTS WITH UPPER AIRWAY DISEASES: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 1 February 2017;23(2):121–125. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2016.0181