Clinical efficacy of Unani herbal formulation in Zeeq-Un-Nafas Shoabi (Bronchial asthma)

Abstract

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are among the top ten most common diseases worldwide causing significant social and economic burden on the patient, family and health system. Despite the availability of safe and effective respiratory medication, problems such as under diagnosis, medication, adherence issue and poor understanding of asthma and COPD have led to the condition being poorly managed worldwide. The term Zeeq-Un-Nafas Shoabi (Bronchial Asthma) is clinically used for those conditions where longstanding irritation in mucous membrane of bronchioles results in cough and excessive production of sputum. Although Zeeq-Un-Nafas Shoabi (bronchial asthma) has not been described as such in Unani literature but the features mentioned under the headings of sual barid, sual ratab and sual nazli muzmin in various books correspond with the signs and symptoms of Zeeq-Un-Nafas Shoabi (Bronchial Asthma). Among all the treatment modalities, polyherbal combinations are said to be well-accepted, safe and effective in asthma. The reason for the therapeutic efficacy of herbal combinations in asthma is due to multiple blocking and homeostasis of very complex and interdependent cellular and mediator networks supporting and involved in the inflammatory process of asthma, whereas modern synthetic drug therapy aimed at blocking one mediator alone would be unlikely to have any significant effect on the disease process. None of the available treatments are found to be effective to provide a complete cure of this disease.