Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a group of chronic Lung diseases that obstruct airflow and cause difficulty breathing.

Emphysema and chronic Bronchitis are the 2 most common causes.

Symptoms

Shortness of breath, wheezing, chronic cough, breathless on exertion. Severe cases will have cyanosis of the lips, face and fingernails due to low blood oxygen.

Causes

Damage to the Lungs from chronic Inflammation is a common cause. Excess smoking and exposure to other harmful chemical vapors or smoke are major causative factors. Chronic Lung diseases like Asthma can devlop into COPD. There is also a genetic link in some cases.

In traditional medicine, a primary cause is Phlegm. Phlegm obstructs the alveoli of the Lungs leading to poor lung function. Because of the fine capillary circulation required to the mucosa, chronic conditions often have blood stasis requiring medicines to resolve stasis.

Treatment

Traditional Herbal medicine will generally use medicines from one of several groups depending on diagnosis::

1. Phlegm-Damp-clearing–Radish seed, Mustard seed, Pepper, Ginger, Turbith, Agaric, Fritillaria Bei Mu, Poria Fu Ling, Pinellia Ban Xia
2. Lung strengthening–Licorice, Mastic, Sweet Almond, Raisin, Date, Asparagus root, Astragalus, Ginseng, Cordyceps, Fox Lung Powder
3. Stops Cough and Wheezing–Thyme, Coltsfoot, Bitter Almond, Ephedra, Platycodon Jie Geng
4. Blood-moving–Saffron, Myrrh, Bitter Almond (or Peach) kernel, Salvia Dan Shen

In chronic cases, the blood supply to the alveoli may also be obstructed requiring Blood-moving herbs in addition to mucolytics and expectorants.

Cupping, Bloodletting, applying oil or plasters over the chest and upper back, steam inhalations, yoga and breathing exercises can all be helpful.

Diet

Warms foods with herbs and spices such as Thyme, Basil, Ginger, Garlic, Radish and spices in general. Warm drinks such as Ginger tea, Green Tea, Raisin or Date tea can be taken throughout the day. A Radish and Ginger Soup can help resolve thick phlegm.
Foods to be avoided include Sweets, Dairy, coconut oil, fermented and sour foods, cold drinks and raw foods in general. A gluten-free diet may be beneficial in some cases.

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See also

Breathlessness, Difficulty Breathing
Asthma.
Treatment of Asthma (Wirtzung)

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Special Formula

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Research:

1. Herbal Treatment of COPD and Asthma According to Persian Medicine: a Review of Current Evidence.
2. An Add-On Treatment for Moderate COPD with Squill-Oxymel (a Traditional Formulation from Drimia maritima (L.) Stearn): A Pilot Randomized Triple-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.