Ginger may relieve asthma symptoms

 

Posted By Neill Abayon

New York: Purified components of the humble ginger have properties that can help asthma patients breathe more easily, a new study has found.
Asthma is characterised by bronchoconstriction, a tightening of the bronchial tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs.

Bronchodilating medications called beta-agonists are among the most common types of asthma medications and work by relaxing the airway smooth muscle (ASM) tissues.

Researchers from Columbia University in New York looked at whether specific components of ginger could help enhance the relaxing effects of bronchodilators.

"Asthma has become more prevalent in recent years, but despite an improved understanding of what causes asthma and how it develops, during the past 40 years few new treatment agents have been approved for targeting asthma symptoms," said lead author Elizabeth Townsend, post-doctoral research fellow in the Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology.

"In our study, we demonstrated that purified components of ginger can work synergistically with beta-agonists to relax ASM," said Townsend.
 

The full article is here.