Medical practitioners consider asthma as a chronic and serious ailment of the respiratory system.  This serious illness affects many people. It has attributes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. The bronchial tubes in the lungs swell and narrow the air passage, which leads to lack of oxygen that goes to the brain.

Environmental and genetic factors are the main reasons for the development of asthma. The main causes are still interests of ongoing research by pulmonary disease experts. Other factors leading to asthma are allergies, stress, infections, cold air and some people’s allergic reaction to certain medications.

There are many conventional treatments for asthma. However, the use of herbs is now into consideration because of the good and effective results that it offers against the ailment. Some of the herbs commonly used for asthma treatment are licorice, ginkgo and stinging nettle.

Licorice offers a soothing effect to one’s lungs and throat. It also aids in reducing asthma symptoms like coughing and irritation. One can soon feel the effects after drinking about three cups of its tea every day.

However, drinking over three cups will result in side effects like headache, high blood pressure or water retention. Thus, take this herb with caution.

The herb that is very popular for treating asthma is ginkgo. This herb attacks the protein in one’s blood, which is responsible for bronchospasms. Take the extracts in doses of between 60 to 240 mg a day, because similar to licorice, it can result in water retention leading to diarrhea problems.

The last herb in consideration for asthma treatment is the stinging nettle. It is popular as anti-histamine, which is also useful for the treatment of hay fever. The tea of stinging nettle root helps in opening up airways for breathing and clears up the phlegm or sticky mucus obstructing the passage of air.

Asthma is not only for children, it affects almost any age group. The good thing is because of advancement in science and medicine, there are various options that can lead to the treatment of asthma. They can be systemic or herbal. The safest way, though is the natural herbal treatment.