Respiratory Issues

H J Hamre et al. (2023) · Systematic reviews

This systematic review examined six earlier meta-analyses (statistical pooling studies) of placebo-controlled randomized trials of homeopathy for any health condition in humans, asking whether homeopathy shows an effect beyond placebo. Homeopathy is built on drug provings (recording symptoms in healthy people), the principle that a substance causing a symptom pattern is used to treat a similar one, and potentization, which means serial dilution with vigorous shaking. Because the six meta-analyses, published between 1997 and 2017, used different methods and reached different conclusions, the authors reviewed them together under a published protocol and judged their risk of bias and the certainty of the overall evidence. The authors searched eight databases plus a private collection and contacted experts, identifying 16 reports covering six meta-analyses, with searches running to December 2020 and an update to April 2023. Two reviewers screened and extracted data independently. The meta-analyses together covered 310 trials or trial comparisons (182 distinct trials published between 1943 and 2014), most often on respiratory conditions such as allergic rhinitis and influenza. Each meta-analysis was rated for risk of bias with ROBIS, and the combined evidence was graded with a GRADE-based approach. All five meta-analyses with reported pooled estimates found a significant effect favouring homeopathy across all trials, for example an odds ratio of 2.45 (95% CI 2.05-2.93) across 89 trials in the 1997 analysis and a standardized mean difference of 0.33 (0.21-0.44) across 54 non-individualised trials in 2017. When only high-quality trials were kept, three of four analyses stayed significant, but the 2017 analysis did not (SMD 0.18, -0.09 to 0.46, 3 trials). Only 6-29% of trials met each analysis's high-quality criteria. Three analyses showed significant heterogeneity and funnel plot asymmetry, a pattern that can signal publication or small-study bias; individualised homeopathy showed neither. Two analyses that combined quality and trial-size restrictions found no significant difference from placebo. Three meta-analyses were rated low and three high risk of bias. The authors rated evidence certainty as high for individualised homeopathy and moderate for the other categories. The authors conclude that the data do not support the hypothesis of no difference from placebo and that placebo-controlled evidence gives no justification for regulatory action against homeopathy. The review only covers trials already in six meta-analyses, so trials after 2011 (individualised) and 2014 (non-individualised) are missing. It also reports no indication-specific results, and its use of GRADE tested whether any effect exists rather than how large it is. The authors recommend updating the individualised homeopathy analysis and studying specific non-individualised treatments for specific conditions.

Monira Alwhaibi et al. (2017) · Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

This cross-sectional survey of 178 mothers of young children in the Central Appalachian Region of the United States explored how many use herbal remedies and which factors are linked to that use. Herbal remedies are plant-based products taken for health purposes, and they are the most common form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM, health approaches used alongside or instead of conventional care) among American adults. The authors framed the work with the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking, which holds that a person's background, past experiences, mood and beliefs shape where information is sought and, in turn, whether action follows, here the use of herbal remedies. The participants were women aged 18 or older with at least one child under three years of age, living in Central Appalachia and mostly in West Virginia, with a mean age of 31.3 years. They were recruited through social media groups, listserv emails, daycares and physician's offices, and completed an online survey. One item asked whether any herbal remedy had been used in the past six months, with follow-ups on which remedy and which condition. Two new five-point scales captured how often six information sources were used and how strongly herbal remedies were believed to be safe and effective. One-third of the women (33.5%) reported using herbal remedies in the past six months. Fenugreek was the most widely used remedy (35.1%), followed by honey (8.8%), chamomile (5.3%) and ginger (5.3%). The main reasons were stimulating or increasing breast milk production (38.6%) and treating cold or flu symptoms (26.3%). Women with the highest information seeking scores had 3.61 times the odds of using herbal remedies compared with those with the lowest (95% CI 1.433-9.77), meaning that more active information seeking went with more use. Women with the highest belief in herbal safety and efficacy had 4.02 times the odds (95% CI 1.468-9.57). Part-time or unemployed women had 2.98 times the odds of full-time employed women (95% CI 1.05-8.47), while education, income and Appalachian identity showed no association. The internet was the most frequently used information source (mean 3.2 out of 5). The authors conclude that herbal remedy use is common in this region and propose that public health efforts and communication from health care providers could raise awareness of the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies. The survey recorded use and beliefs only; it did not test whether any remedy worked, and safety was not assessed. Limitations include a sample drawn mostly from West Virginia, self-selection in an internet-based survey, self-reported answers open to recall bias, and no data on whether use was regular or occasional. The authors call for further research, including qualitative work, on what health information women seek.

Monika Kujawska et al. (2019) · Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine

This historical review examined Bryonia alba (white bryony), a vine in the cucumber family, tracing its use across northern and central-eastern Europe from antiquity through the twentieth century. The authors, an ethnobiologist and an ethnologist, worked from written and oral sources rather than a clinical study, covering Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania and the Balkans. White bryony's root closely resembles the root of mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), a plant with an extensive European magical and medicinal reputation; the paper's central finding is that this resemblance let bryony function as mandrake's cheaper stand-in, inheriting much of its folklore in the process. Rather than enrolling participants, the authors searched historical floras, pharmacopoeias, ethnographic monographs, and travel accounts for every mention of the plant, then sorted findings into categories: ritual and folk-belief use, food, folk and historical medicine, ethnoveterinary practice, and ornamental planting. They cross-checked, where sources allowed, whether a given account referred to B. alba or its close relative B. dioica, and separated practices documented only in printed herbals ("booklore") from those recorded as living oral tradition passed between households. Across independent sources, root preparations were repeatedly recorded for oedema (fluid swelling, called dropsy at the time), convulsions and epilepsy, intestinal worms, wounds, and rheumatic pain — a 1792 Swedish account describes juice collected from a hollowed-out root curing oedema and treating worms, convulsions and headache, while twentieth- and twenty-first-century accounts from Serbia and Kosovo describe the same root used as a purgative, diuretic and topical anti-rheumatic agent. The authors cite phytochemical literature attributing these effects to cucurbitacins (bitter plant compounds), also linked elsewhere to antitumor activity, while stating plainly that historical claims for epilepsy specifically lack sufficient supporting study. Toxicity is dose- and season-dependent: freshly harvested summer root contains the more toxic cucurbitacin I, and the berries carry a cited lethal dose of roughly 15 for a child and 40 for an adult. The authors report that medicinal use had become obsolete across Scandinavia, Germany and western Slavic regions by the twentieth century, surviving only in isolated Balkan communities in Serbia and Kosovo. The authors present this decline as an unusual case: a plant of substantial historical medicinal and magical importance that today survives mainly as an ornamental garden relic or, in North America, as an unrelated invasive weed. Because the review synthesizes historical and ethnographic records rather than testing the plant directly, it offers no controlled data on safety or effectiveness, and the authors themselves flag some recorded folklore as possibly the invention of root sellers rather than genuine tradition. Future work, the authors suggest, could extend this same source-based method to B. dioica across German-, Latin- and Celtic-speaking Europe.

Qing Li et al. (2025) · Journal of occupational health

This randomized crossover trial studied 30 Japanese men, average age 63, who were at risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — a common lung condition that narrows airways and makes breathing harder over time, and one of the world's leading causes of death. Each man spent one day forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of mindfully immersing yourself in a forest) in a cypress forest, and another day walking a similar distance through a nearby city, in random order — so each person acted as their own comparison. Both walks covered the same distance at the same gentle pace under the guidance of a certified forest therapist, and participants avoided alcohol and ate the same meals throughout the 3-day trip. Researchers measured inflammation markers and oxygen levels in the blood before and after each walk, checked blood-oxygen saturation with a fingertip sensor, and had participants complete standard questionnaires about breathing symptoms, sleep quality, mood, and fatigue. Forest bathing lowered several inflammation markers (CRP, IL-6, and α1-antitrypsin) significantly more than the city walk did, and raised blood-oxygen saturation, while the city walk produced no such oxygen improvement. COPD-related breathing symptoms dropped significantly after forest bathing but stayed about the same after the city walk. Sleep quality improved across most measures after forest bathing, and mood scores showed less anger, confusion, depression, and anxiety, with people feeling notably more energetic than after the city walk. Fatigue and physical discomfort also eased more after time in the forest. Both walks used the same amount of physical effort (confirmed by matched blood-lactate levels), meaning the extra benefits of the forest walk likely came from the forest environment itself — its cleaner air, plant-released aromatic compounds (phytoncides), and calming, multisensory setting — rather than simply from walking. In people at risk of COPD, these results suggest that spending a day in a forest, walking gently and mindfully, may ease inflammation, improve breathing-related symptoms, and boost mood and sleep more than an equivalent walk in the city. Forest bathing is not a treatment for COPD; the authors caution that diagnosed COPD calls for medical supervision and flat, easy trails. The study is small (30 men) and tested only two single days, so it can't yet say whether these benefits last with regular practice or apply to women or other age groups.

Janmejaya Samal (2015) · Journal of intercultural ethnopharmacology

This systematic review pooled published research on using Ayurveda, India's traditional medical system, alongside standard drugs for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) — a bacterial lung infection that remains one of India's leading causes of death. The review searched PubMed through April 2015 and found six studies worth including: four human trials testing Ayurvedic herbal formulas as add-ons to standard anti-TB drugs (ATDs), and two lab studies testing plant extracts directly against the TB bacterium. In Ayurveda, PTB is traditionally understood as Rajayakshma, a wasting condition tied to depleted bodily tissues (dhatu) and vital reserve (ojas) — explaining why many of the formulas studied are rejuvenative "Rasayana" tonics rather than antibiotics. The four clinical trials enrolled 30 to 133 PTB patients each, all in India, and ran from 28 days to 6-8 months. Participants took Ayurvedic formulas — a nine-herb Rasayana capsule, a liquid tonic called Bhringarajasava, Ashwagandha with Chyawanprash, or a hepatoprotective blend called Liv-600 — alongside their prescribed drug regimen (DOTS). Researchers tracked symptoms like cough and fever, body weight, X-ray changes, drug blood levels, and liver enzymes. The two lab studies tested leaf and plant extracts against TB bacteria in culture, measuring the lowest concentration that stopped bacterial growth. Across the trials, Ayurvedic add-ons consistently eased symptoms and supported weight gain more than standard treatment alone (p<0.001 in the largest trial). One striking finding: Ashwagandha plus Chyawanprash raised blood levels of two key TB drugs, isoniazid and pyrazinamide, by 7-10% (meaning the body absorbed more of the medicine that actually kills the bacteria) — potentially valuable given rising drug resistance. The hepatoprotective blend showed no harmful rise in liver enzymes, suggesting it may guard against the liver damage these drugs can cause. In the lab, extracts from four of five tested legumes completely stopped bacterial growth at a low concentration (50 micrograms per milliliter), and extracts from five other plants inhibited even drug-resistant TB strains by up to 95%. These findings position Ayurvedic formulas as promising supportive care — easing symptoms, protecting the liver, and possibly boosting drug absorption — rather than replacements for standard TB treatment, which no study tested. The evidence base is thin: only six studies total, all small, mostly from India, with just one describing blinding and none pooling results statistically. The authors call for properly designed clinical trials of the lab-active plants, especially against multidrug-resistant TB. The evidence reviewed concerns Ayurvedic preparations as adjuncts to prescribed drug therapy; none of it addresses their use instead of it.

Tiffany J Barsotti et al. (2023) · Explore (New York, N.Y.)

This exploratory study investigates the effects of encountering a sacred object, specifically the Sri Yantra / Durga Stone, on human biofield responses. The significance of this research lies in its potential to bridge traditional healing practices with modern scientific understanding, particularly in the context of enhancing well-being through sacred objects. The study aims to explore how such encounters influence emotional and physical health, addressing a gap in existing literature regarding the biofield and sacred spaces. The study employed a pre-post single group design with a sample size of 17 participants, aged 38 to 79, consisting of 12 women and 5 men, all of whom provided informed consent. Participants engaged with the sacred object by placing their hand on the Sri Yantra / Durga Stone for up to 3 minutes, optionally reciting a mantra. Outcomes were measured using a Bio-Well device, which assessed emotional pressure, energy levels, and readings from various organ systems before and after the encounter. The intervention was conducted at the Sri Narayani Golden Temple in Vellore, India, with no specific treatment provided beyond the encounter itself. Results indicated a significant increase in the overall Bio-Well energy state, with baseline levels of 53.78 significantly lower than pre-exposure levels of 60.54 (p = 0.005) and post-exposure levels of 66.78 (p < 0.001). Significant changes were also observed in cardiovascular (F(2,32) = 11.441, p < 0.001) and endocrine system assessments (F(2,32) = 10.34, p = 0.001). However, emotional pressure and left/right symmetry measures did not show significant changes (p = 0.017 and p = 0.156, respectively). Participants reported enhanced feelings of energy, emotional balance, and a sense of peace, with no adverse events noted during the study. The findings suggest that exposure to sacred objects may enhance emotional and physical well-being, indicating potential therapeutic applications in clinical settings. However, the study's limitations include the absence of a control group and the short duration of exposure, which may affect the validity and generalizability of the results. Practitioners may consider incorporating similar interventions into therapeutic practices to explore their benefits further. Future research should include control conditions and longer engagement times with sacred objects to better assess their effects on the human biofield and overall health.

Pratyusha Veldhi et al. (2025) · Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

This 2023 ethnobotanical review investigated the medicinal plants native to Pike County, Eastern Kentucky, and their pharmacological benefits. The study combined a local survey with a literature review to validate the medicinal properties of 14 identified plants: Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa), American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Porcelain (Hibiscus sabdariffa), Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra), Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), and Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima). The survey identified various traditional uses for these plants, including nutritional benefits, insect repellent properties, and applications for conditions such as rheumatism, inflammation, and infections. For instance, Pawpaw is traditionally consumed for its nutritional value and has shown potential in modern research for anticancer and antimicrobial activities, with studies indicating its extracts inhibit the HIF-1 transcription factor, which is involved in tumor growth. Beautyberry has been noted for its insect-repelling properties and has demonstrated efficacy against MRSA infections in research settings. Pipsissewa has been traditionally used for rheumatism and has shown antifungal and anticancer properties in scientific studies. Chicory serves as a coffee substitute and has hepatoprotective and antidiabetic effects, while Boneset is recognized for its immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. The findings highlight the rich ethnobotanical knowledge of the local population and the pharmacological potential of these plants. However, this review is limited by the small sample size of survey participants (n=4) and the reliance on self-reported data, which may introduce bias. Further research with larger, more diverse populations is needed to validate these findings and explore the therapeutic applications of these plants more comprehensively.