Home remedies for Asthma (Dama)

Asthma means difficulty in breathing or breathlessness. The narrowed airways may lead to coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath (dyspnoea), and symptoms often being worse at night.

Common remedies.

1. Taking Piper longum (pippali) powder along with honey, makes an attack of asthma subside.
2. Take the juice of the whole plant of Solanum surattense (chote kateri) two/ three tea spoon (10/15 ml.) as such, or with combination of equal parts of dried ginger, long pepper and black pepper (Trikatu)- 1 gm twice a day.
3. You can even take Terminalia bellirica powder (baheda) one tea spoon (5 gm.) with equal honey twice a day.
4. Powdered fruit of Terminalia chebula (Harad) one tea spoon (5 gm.) with luke warm water- twice a day.
5. Powdered of Terminalia chebula (Harad), Terminalia bellirica (baheda) and Emblica officianalis (Amla) in combination (Triphala) two tea spoon (10 gms.) with luke warm water at bed time.
6. Prepare a decoction by boiling equal parts of root of Adhatoda vasica (adoosa), rhizome of turmeric, stem of Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi/ giloy), and the fruit of Solanum surattence (chote kateri). Take this decoction internally, 20-30ml with one gram of powdered black pepper twice a day.
7. During an acute attack of asthma, drink some hot water with the juice of one clove of garlic.
8. Apply (massage) luke warm mustard oil (sarson tail) mixed with a pinch of Rock salt on chest.

Prevention, Diet and other considerations

• Avoid foods that can aggravate asthma such as curd, bananas, sugar sweets, black gram, buttermilk, guavas, fried foods, sour substances etc.
• Change in weather, exposure to molds, animal dander, grass or tree pollen triggers asthmatic attacks.
• Wear a scarf around your mouth and nose in cold weather.
• During an asthma attack, sit up straight and bend forward. Do not lie down. Place a hot towel over the chest. This helps to relax muscles and restore normal breathing.
• For an acute asthma attack, try steam inhalation. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a bowl of hot water. Cover your head and the bowl with a towel. Be careful that the water is not so hot that the steam burns your face.
• Smoking both active and passive should be strictly prohibited.

Referral criteria: If dyspnoea continuously increases refer the patient to hospital for further treatment.