Ayurveda Drugs for Management of Respiratory Allergic Disorders: A Short Review

Allergy of respiratory system, termed as respiratory allergies are the major cause of morbidity in both children and adult. The disorder contributes to headaches and fatigue, limit day to day activities, interferes with sleep and therefore leads to school absenteeism in children and poor work performance in adults. The increasing prevalence of these disorders in present era is related to modern stressful life style, artificially of our food, super clean living conditions and irrelevant use of antibiotics leading to immune dysfunction and hypersensitivity of airways. According to the Modern medicine, its management includes antibiotics, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamines, bronchodilators, mast cell stabilizers, decongestants and corticosteroids. But, these are associated with many adverse effects and lack long-term sustained effect. Ayurveda explains the pathology of respiratory allergies as immune dysfunction which is due to formation of (undigested intermediate product) Ama, and Kapha dosha. Ayurveda has potent drugs possessing immunomodulatory, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and mucolytic effect which can be used for breaking the pathology of the respiratory allergy at various levels, and giving prompt symptomatic relief to the patient. The Ayurveda approach of management of Respiratory allergies is to potentiate the immune system of the individual in order to reduce the susceptibility towards the allergens and at the same time providing symptomatic relief to the patient. Thus, it is supposed that these drugs can prove beneficial and provide effective and long term solution to allergic disorders and thereby may improve the quality of life and work performance. Paper reviews clinical and experimental studies published in various journals to provide evidences regarding the efficacy of various Ayurveda drugs in the management of respiratory allergies. Review of studies indicates that Ayurveda drugs have potential to reduce the morbidity and therefore can be successfully used for the management of respiratory allergies.