Medicinal plants used for the treatment of respiratory diseases in Uttarakhand state of India

Abstract

Respiratory diseases in human beings are on rise, at present, due to many reasons including deteriorating air quality. Traditionally, plants are used to treat respiratory diseases. The present study, therefore, aims to identify and document plant use for treatment of respiratory diseases in Uttarakhand state of India. Interviews with local herbal healers resulted in documentation of 82 plant species as they were used to treat 7 types of respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, influenza, lung disorder and cough and cold. The highest number of species (n=57) was documented for treatment of cough and cold, followed by asthma (n=27) and bronchitis (n=20). Aconitum heterophyllum, Ocimum sanctum, Punica granatum, Terminalia bellirica and Zingiber officinale were frequently used plants to treat cough and cold. These plant species if tested clinically it may open new avenues for making new drugs to treat various respiratory diseases.