Asthma is a chronic lung condition in which inflammation of the airways, or bronchi, affects the way air enters and leaves the lungs, disrupting breathing. Asthma is an ancient Greek word meaning panting or short drawn breath. It is the most troublesome of the respiratory diseases. It affects twice as many boys as girls in childhood; more girls than boys develop asthma as teenagers, and in adulthood, the ratio becomes 1:1 males to females. People with asthma have extra sensitive or hyper responsive airways. The airways react by narrowing or obstructing when they become irritated. This makes it difficult for the air to move in and out.

The narrowing or obstruction of the airways is caused by:
Airway inflammation (the airways in the lungs become red, swollen and narrow)
Bronchoconstriction (the muscles that encircle the airways tighten or go into spasm)

Causes

The various factors responsible for the cause of asthma are:
1. Lack of exercise: Many are in the habit of easy life that means without any exercises and such people when sometimes exposed to some irritants develop allergies leading to the blockage of airways. Thus, resulting in asthma
2. Genetic factors: Many of the families are suffering from this chronic disease. The people suffering from asthma also have other allergic conditions such as rhinitis i.e. inflammation of nose lining. Allergy is the hypersensitivity to some proteins foreign to the body.
3. Dietary changes: A high intake of processed food, salt intake, a lower intake antioxidant and omega-3 fatty acids highly contribute in the development of asthma
4. Occupational exposure: The people working in the industries of baking, woodworking, spray painting of cars, farming and chemical production are prone to asthma due to various irritants such as dust, gases present there.
5. Environmental factors: Infections such as colds and flu, irritants such as dust, cigarette smoke, fumes, house dust mites, pollen, medicines or certain other allergic foods.

Home Remedies

1. The patient should perspire through steam bath, hot footbath, hot hipbath and sunbath as this will stimulate the skin and relieve congested lungs.
2. Honey is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of asthma. At the time of asthma attack a jug full of honey should be held under the nose of patient, within few minutes the patient would start breathing easily. This is because honey contains a mixture of higher alcohols and ethereal oils; vapors given by them are soothing.
3. The patient should be given garlic cloves boiled in thirty grams of milk daily.
4. Steaming ginger tea with minced garlic cloves should be given twice a day (morning and evening).

5. A teaspoonful of turmeric powder with a glass of milk 2-3 times a day is recommended. It is highly beneficial when taken empty stomach.
6. During the attack mustard oil mixed with little camphor should be massaged over the back of the chest.
7. The patient should also be made to inhale steam from boiling water mixed with ajwain (caraway seeds)
8. Air, sun and water are also great healing agents. The patient should sit in fresh air for sometime daily. Try to avoid dusty places, exposure to cold, mental worries and tensions.
9. Boil 4-5 cloves in 125 ml of water. Add one teaspoonful of honey and drink the mixture twice or thrice a day.
10. 1-2 teaspoonfuls of Spiegel seed with warm water twice a day helps in minimizing asthma attacks.
11. Soak dry grapes in water at night and keep in cold milk for half an hour and chew them.
12. Take fresh dry grapes with seeds and soak them in 150 grams of water at night. Remove the seeds in the morning and chew them slowly and one by one. In the remaining water add a little sugar and drink it. In a month the lungs will be strengthened and poisonous wastes will be removed from the body.
13. Mix one gram of dry ginger powder and one gram of black pepper in one teaspoon of molasses of honey.
14. Grind kheel of borax (heat borax in an iron vessel so that it spreads and store in a bottle) and dilute it. Take half gram to one gram of it twice or thrice with honey or warm water.
15. Boil around 35 fenugreek seeds in 250 ml of water; remove from flame when one-third of it is left. Add one teaspoonful of ginger juice and one teaspoonful of honey. It is highly beneficial for the asthma patients during winters.
16. Turmeric can be taken along with honey in the morning on empty stomach to reduce the intensity of attack.
17. Regular chewing of fennel helps expel infected mucous from the chest. Thus, helps in preventing asthma attacks.
18. Peel dry pomegranate and keep them in a jar. Boil two raisins and some part of the peel in 250 ml of milk. Drink this milk twice a day.
19. Boil 20 grams of linseed in 300 grams of water. When one-third of water is left, sieve and add 10 grams of sugar candy. Drink one teaspoonful many times in an hour. This will help in the excretion of mucous that has dried up in the chest.

Inhalant recommended for asthma patients
Essential oil of juniper: A few drops in hot water can act as good inhalant. It should not be used undiluted on the skin or handkerchief.