Abstract
The utilization of medicinal plants in the treatment of respiratory diseases has
a rich history dating back centuries. A vast body of research literature, including review
articles, research papers, case studies, patents, and books, provides substantial evidence
supporting the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases and injuries. This
study delves into the diverse range of plant species known for their therapeutic properties,
with a specific focus on their applications in respiratory health. Medicinal plants
have played a crucial role as a source of ingredients for medications and the synthesis of
drugs. Globally, over 35,000 plant species are employed for medicinal purposes, particularly
in emerging countries where traditional medicine, predominantly plant-based pharmaceuticals,
serves as a primary healthcare resource. This review highlights the significance
of medicinal plants, such as aloe, ginger, turmeric, tulsi, and neem, in treating a
wide array of common respiratory ailments. These plants contain bioactive compounds,
including tannins, alkaloids, sugars, terpenoids, steroids, and flavonoids, which have diverse
therapeutic applications. Some medicinal plants, notably Echinacea purpurea and
Zingiber officinale, exhibit potential for adjuvant symptomatic therapy in respiratory
conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, asthma,
the common cold, cough, and whooping cough. The leaves of medicinal plants like Acacia
torta, Ocimum sanctum, Mentha haplocalyx, Lactuca virosa, Convolvulus pluricaulis,
and Acalypha indica are commonly used to address pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma,
colds, and cough. This review aims to shed light on specific medicinal plants with therapeutic
value, providing valuable insights for researchers in the field of herbal medicine.
These plants hold the potential to serve as novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of
respiratory diseases.
Keywords:
Medicinal plant, bioactive extract, secondary metabolites, COPD, phytochemicals, respiratory diseases.
Graphical Abstract
[1]
Davidson-Hunt I. Ecological ethnobotany: Stumbling toward new practices and paradigms. MASA J 2000; 16: 1-13.
[3]
Natesh S, Mohan Ram HY. An update on green medicine. J Indian Bot Soc 1999; 78: 13-23.
[6]
UNESCO C. Health orientation Texts world decade for cultural development 1988-97.1996;
[8]
Adesokan AA, Yakubu MT, Owoyele BV, Akanji MA, Soladoye AO, Lawal OK. Effect of administration of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Enantia chlorantha stem bark on brewer’s yeast-induced pyresis in rats. Afr J Biochem Res 2008; 2: 165-9.
[11]
WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants. World Health Organization 1999.
[12]
World Health Organization WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants 2007. 3.
[13]
World Health Organization WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants 2005. 4.
[16]
Srujana TS, Konduri RB, Rao BS. Phytochemical investigation and biological activity of leaves extract of plant Boswellia serrata. Pharma Innov 2012; 1: 22.
[18]
Deeb T, Knio K, Shinwari ZK, Kreydiyyeh S, Baydoun E. Survey of medicinal plants currently used by herbalists in Lebanon. Pak J Bot 2013; 45: 543-55.
[22]
Jain C, Khatana S, Vijayvergia R. Bioactivity of secondary metabolites of various plants: A review. Int J Pharm Sci Res 2019; 10: 494-504.
[33]
Molyneux RJ, Nash RJ, Asano N. Alkaloids: Chemical and biological perspectives. Elsevier 1996.
[48]
Blease K, Raymon HK. Small molecule inhibitors of cell signaling: Novel future therapeutics for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Curr Opin Investigat Drugs 2003; 4: 544-51.
[53]
Liu Y. Salvia miltiorrhiza injection in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Tradit Chin Med 2017; 37: 334-44.
[55]
Ganguly D, Haque M. Intranasal administration of curcumin: A recent formulation approach to evaluate the biodistribution in the brain. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2012; 167: 2044-52.
[63]
Khare CP. Indian medicinal plants. Springer 2007.
[70]
Gupta SK, Prakash J, Srivastava S. Validation of traditional claim of Tulsi, Ocimum sanctum Linn. as a medicinal plant. Indian J Exp Biol 2002; 40(7): 765-73.
[71]
Walter TM. Catalogue of Siddha medicinal plants 2005.
[75]
Shanmugavelu M. Noikaluku Siddha parikaram Part-I Indian medicine Homeopathy department. Government of India 2004.
[80]
Barle R, Shrivastava A, Mishra G, Agrawal S. Qualitative phytochemical study of medicinal plants of Durg District. Indian J Life Sci 2015; 5: 73-7.
[84]
a) Zhao J. Nutraceuticals, nutritional therapy, phytonutrients, and phytotherapy for improvement of human health: A perspective on plant biotechnology application. Recent Patents Biotechnol 2007; 1(1): 75-97.;
b) Mulin X. Plant sample sampling device for biotechnology experiment. CN2174247830 2022.
Download PDF Flyer