Herbal and Animal Derived Remedies for Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease): A Review Study

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common inflammatory obstructive lung diseases which affect many millions of people worldwide. As well as the risk of possible adverse effects not all patients respond to treatments and non-adherence to treatment is common due to issues such as complex treatment regimens, poor inhalation technique and delayed results thus there is an unmet medical need for complementary therapies for asthma and COPD. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) includes techniques such as acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, herbal medicine, animal resources and spiritual healing. In this article we have undertaken a review of the existing literature about this treatment. Along with studying the clinical efficacy of these natural compounds it is also important to understand the mechanisms through which these compounds exert their effect. While the mechanisms of some promising phytomedicines, such as Anti-asthma Herbal Medicine Intervention, have begun to be elucidated the mechanisms of most plant-based medicines remain unknown. On the other hand, Animal resources, such as camel's milk and its various products, have comprehensively been dealt with regarding their nutritive and therapeutic effects, However, in spite of various experimental and animal studies, lack of comprehensive clinical trials aimed on regarded effects still remains to reconfirm the traditional knowledge.