I love it when science backs up traditional chinese medicine. Right now I’ve put up the abstract of this study done in Taiwan but published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. The original pubmed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15693916
Why is this important? This is important because people want and need alternatives to steroids. They turn to acupuncture, which I have used to help a good number of asthma patients. Unfortunately there are times when acupuncture isn’t practical. For example, when children are involved. That’s where herbal meds come in.
Of course, proper use of herbs requires consultation with a trained practitioner. There are several applicable formulae and it is up to the practitioner to determine what is appropriate for a patient’s particular problem, or to refer to the appropriate specialists as needed.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2005 Feb;16(1):76-81.
Efficacy and safety of modified Mai-Men-Dong-Tang for treatment of allergic asthma.
Hsu CH, Lu CM, Chang TT.
Source
Department of Pediatrics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. hsumd736@ms67.hinet.net
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a Chinese herbal formula modified Mai-Men-Dong-Tang (mMMDT) for treatment of persistent, mild-to-moderate asthma. A total of 100 asthmatic patients were enrolled and assigned to three treatment groups in this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Over a period of 4 months, patients in groups A and B received 80 and 40 mg/kg/day of mMMDT, while those in group C received a placebo. Efficacy variables included changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), symptom score, serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and dust mite-specific IgE. Safety assessments included complete blood count, and liver and kidney function. Relative to baseline, significantly greater increases in FEV1 were demonstrated for both A and B groups in comparison with the placebo-treated analog (both p <0.05). Further, similar improvements in symptom score were observed for both mMMDT treatment groups. The serum total IgE for group A showed a decreasing tendency after treatment but no statistical difference was noted. Furthermore, no drug-related adverse effects were reported. Blood test, and liver and kidney function were within normal range during the study, with no marked changes demonstrated over time. In conclusion, the Chinese herbal formula mMMDT provided improvements in lung function and relieved asthma symptoms in our sample of patients. Given its efficacy and safety, we consider mMMDT a credible treatment regimen for persistent, mild-to-moderate asthma.PMID:15693916