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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Betsy Singh, PhD, Raheleh Khorsan, MA, Sivarama Prasad Vinjamury, MD, Claudia Der-Martirosian, PhD, Anupama Kizhakkeveettil, BAMS, and Tara Anderson, BS. Research Division, Southern California University of Health Sciences, 16200 E. Amber Valley Drive, Whittier, CA 90604, 562-947-8755 Ext: 7368, rahelehkhorsan@scuhs.edu

Asthma is a condition, often chronic, characterized by respiratory symptoms, variable airflow limitation and/or airway hyper reactivity with symptoms causally related to family history, environmental influences, exposure to viruses and allergens as examples. The high economic burden associated with asthma is associated primarily with health care costs, missed work or school days. Economic and societal costs can lower the quality of life for the asthma patient, family members, and other caregivers. This systematic review was conducted to determine the study quality of articles investigating ayurvedic/collateral herbs, the effectiveness/efficacy and safety profile, as reported in the studies. Methods- Literature searches were conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, Mantis, Ovid, and Cochrane library to identify published trials on herbal medicines for asthma of which Ayruvedic herbals are a subset. Randomized Controlled Trials and Quasi-Experimental Designs were included in this systematic review. Herbs included in Traditional Chinese Medicine were excluded from this review. Forty-two articles were retrieved and 37 articles were ultimately reviewed utilizing 3 independent evaluators/ 1 arbitrator. Results- Articles reviewed indicated benefit from most of the herbs used either as a primary or adjunctive treatment for Asthma. Study quality was mixed and therefore caution in interpretation of findings of usefulness of these herbals must be suggested. Limited safety information was mixed and generally was related to GI symptoms, though one herbal investigated reported more serious side effects. Conclusions- Ayurvedic/collateral herbs may be useful in treatment of asthma. Established effectiveness must be balanced with study quality and safety profile for the herb.

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