ASTHMA

ASTHMA

Symptoms:

The system is filled with waste matter and mucus.  Asthma is characterized by labored breathing (dyspnea), wheezing with dry and painful coughing which is often due to an extreme irritation of the mucous membranes in the nasal passages or bronchial tubes.  The symptoms are accompanied by constriction of the chest (bronchiolar spasm) and expectoration of mucus (mucoid sputum).  Asthma may result in an excessive development (hypertrophy) of the glandular elements.  This affliction is commonly believed to be due to hypersensitivity to inhaled or ingested substances such as odors, pollen, dust, smoke, etc.

Cause:

Asthma is caused by malnutrition.  Only by diligent and consistent effort to change embedded habits will one get permanent relief.  The cough is a result of nature's effort to expectorate mucus from the lungs, after which breathing becomes easier.   Ofttimes the cause of asthma is basically a nervous condition because the nerves are irritated.

Herbal aids:

When a person is in a convulsion there are certain herbs that will give very fast relief.  One of these is tincture of lobelia, and a valerian decoction with a little cayenne added to relieve spasms. If such an attack comes after a meal one should use an emetic, such as a large dose of lobelia or use the Yoga finger method.

Drink several cups of warm water, then place the middle finger deep down the throat and press the tongue until regurgitation starts.  Mustard is also good to clean the stomach and lungs.  Prior to the emetic a peppermint or spearmint tea should be used to soothe the area and alleviate the discomfort of continual vomiting.  Hot fomentation of castor oil, comfrey, lobelia, mullein, etc., may be placed over the stomach, liver, spleen and lung areas.  Frequent hydrotherapy baths or lengthy sweat baths are beneficial, followed by a cold shower or sponging.  Another helpful method is to take a vapor bath twice a week, inhaling steam from a decoction of cudweed ragwort, wormwood, or a decoction of the following herbs, taken warm, (equal parts) will prove very beneficial: elecampane root, horehounds, hyssop, skunk cabbage root, vervain, wild cherry bark (and to this preparation add tincture of lobelia or antispasmodic tincture).  Clear the bowels with an injection of catnip or barberry bark.  This affliction also calls for plenty of outdoor exercise, deep breathing, and good ventilation while sleeping.  The whole body system should be built up with tonic herbs such as chickweed, comfrey, marshmallow, mullein, etc.   Diet should be mostly fruits and vegetables, avoiding all processed devitalized foods.

Useful herbs:

Agrimony, alconoraue bark, anemone pulsatilla, angelica, anise seed, asarabacca, asthma wood, balm of Gilead, balsam of Tolu, beet root juice, belladonna leaves, beth root, bitter candy tuft, black cohosh, blue cohosh, blood root boneset, cajeput oil, catawba tree, cayenne, cherry laurel, cleavers (small), coltsfoot, comfrey root, coral bloom, coughwort, cramp bark, cubeb berries, cypripedium, daisy, dragon root, dragon turnip, elder berries, elecampane root, ephedra herb, flaxseed, garlic, ginger, grindelia, ground ivy, henbane leaves, hickory bark, honeysuckle, horehounds, hyssop, Indian poke, Indian hemp, Indian turnip, Irish moss, licorice root, lady's slipper root, lobelia, lungwort, maiden hair, masterwort, milkweed, mullein, myrrh, nettle, plantain, pleurisy root, prickly ash, quillaja bark, red clover tops, red root, red sage, ribwort, river weed, rosin weed leaves, sage, saw palmetto berries, senna, skunk cabbage, slippery elm bark, snake weed, spinet root, spikenard, storax, succory, sunflower seeds, thorn apple plant, thoroughwort, thyme, wall germander, walnut leaves, water ash, wild plum bark, yerba santa leaves, vervain, wild cherry.