herbal medicines for asthma. Nigella sativa

Ok, hi everyone. I feel happy, I am sitting at my desk looking towards the window and have next to me a glass of herbal tea, in it is ginger+lemon+Nigella sativa seeds sweetened with organic honey.

I am not asthmatic but recently I've had tightness in the chest so I thought of calling Asthma-UK helpline for some advice on `natural treatment for the respiratory system/lung/ribcage`. I smoke and cycle everyday around London streets. the problem is that the lady on the phone sounded so discouraging about taking any herbal medicines after I said to her that `I don't want any pharmaceutical product` meaning `don't send me to a doctor`. I haven't been to a doctor for the last 15 years nor have I had any pharmaceutical product so it is Ok for me to try any herbs for the upper or/and lower respiratory tract. she said I should do some exercise. so I immediately concluded that this Asthma-uk charity is not into any herbal medicines.

that night, after having a warm shower. I massaged the ribcage with N.sativa oil and had Lemon Verbena tea with some N.sativa seed in it and went to sleep. since then I've never felt any pain or tightness in the chest.

Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science has some publications on `Nigella sativa and its effect on asthma`.

so I just wanted to say that it is not good of Asthma UK to scare people away from using herbal medicine. they always say `you must seek advice from your doc` it seems that they know that doctors will say `don't take herbs`. the lady on the phone said to me `we spent a lot of money on research`.

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so I just wanted to say that it is not good of Asthma UK to scare people away from using herbal medicine. they always say `you must seek advice from your doc` it seems that they know that doctors will say `don't take herbs`. the lady on the phone said to me `we spent a lot of money on research`.

Yes, Asthma UK spend a lot of money on research into asthma and its cures/treatments. The reason that Asthma UK does not recommend herbal remedies for asthma is because genuine scientific tests have shown that there is absolutely no evidence at all that they work. The reason Asthma UK recommends you go and see your doctor is because they have many years of medical training, and access to medications (some of which are ""natural"" in origin) which all have a proven beneficial effect for asthma sufferers.

Even your anecdotal evidence would be useless because, as you point out, you don't have asthma. You say you had a tight chest, massaged some oil into your ribcage, and then went to sleep. You woke up with no tight chest. I'd suggest that your ""evidence"" shows that sleep could be a ""cure"" for asthma just as much as it shows that Nigella sativa could be!

I prefer evidence-based medicine, rather than offering advice that could be life-threatening.

[Lil_tinx66 in reply to Hidden]

Just wondering if your not asthmatic why you decided to call our helpline ?

As Peaksteve has said above Asthma UK spend a lot of time and money on research that's vital to us. I'd also like to add a lot of time money and effort goes into the AUK helpline , of which is a very valuable source of information I almost certainly think that all of us out there who have used it only have praise for the help an support of the advice line.

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I am a smoker""

Yeah. At that point I realised you had nothing useful to say to me.

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REAL medicines take years of research and development, go through loads of trials and tests and lots of them don't make it through. Those that do are proven to work.

Personally I trust my gp rather than some person with no medical background in a herbal shop.

With respect, they might work, but they might also be dangerous. I'll take what my dr gives me - I know it works

A tight chest in an asthmatic is different to that of someone without asthma - asthma is a killer and not to be messed with!!