Herbal Cascara Sagrada, The Natural Treatment for Asthma and Asthmatic Attacks

By Kyle J. Norton

Herbal Cascara Sagrada may have a potential and positive effect on reducing the risk and treatment of asthma, according to studies.

Asthma is a medical condition caused by the long-term inflammation of the airways of the lungs with persistent recurring symptoms.

Most common symptoms of asthma including episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, particularly, shortness of breath can be triggered by exposure to irritants and allergens.

Other airborne substances, such as pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander or particles of cockroach waste and the common cold are also found to trigger symptoms of the condition.

Epidemiological studies, family history, viral respiratory infections, smoking, exposure to irritants, environment air pollution and allergy are some most common prevalent risk factors of the disease.

However, out of all the risk factors, some researchers suggested that widespread obesity is one of the common cause of asthma in the Western world. 

Dr. E. Rand Sutherland, at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center and University of Colorado, said, " Data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that 65 percent of U.S. adults ≥ 20 years of age are overweight or obese [41], a 10% increase when compared with the 1988-94 period".

And, "Although asthma affects a smaller proportion of the U.S. population than does obesity, and while recent data suggest asthma prevalence may not be increasing as rapidly as in the past, the age-adjusted asthma prevalence of 7.9% reported based on 2005 National Health Interview Survey data [1] is more than twice that reported in 1984-1986 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data".

These results provided strong evidence in linking the convergence of secular trends of the increased prevalence of both obesity and asthma.

Cascara sagrada is a species of buckthorn, genus Rhamnus, belonging to the family Rhamnaceae, native to western North America.

The herbal bark has been used in traditional medicine for gastrointestinal support. and it is thought to have a laxative and natural cleansing, etc.

Besides the main compound of anthraquinones, other compounds of herbal Cascara Sagrada include anthraquinone glycosides, (emodin, frangulin, iso-emodin, aloe-emodin, and chrysophanol), rhein, aloin, malic acid, tannic acid, cascarosides A, B, C, and D, and hydroxy anthracene derivatives (HAD), etc.

Scientists on finding a natural anti-asthma compound with no side effects examined the anti-inflammatory effects of emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone), a natural occurring anthraquinone derivative isolated from roots and barks of numerous plants, such as herbal Cascara Sagrada, molds, and lichens.

Injection of emodin displayed significant activity in the inhibition of asthma symptoms through anti-inflammatory effects.

In order to reveal more inflammation-related to the effects of herbal Cascara Sagrada against asthma, researchers examined anthraquinone, another bioactive compound isolated from the herbal medicine.

In allergic mice infected with RV1B inducing an exacerbation, anthraquinone treatment reduced expression of proteins associated with the immune response and cellular and molecular mechanisms driving asthma pathophysiology.

Furthermore, injection of the bioactive compound also exerted a decrease of airway inflammation involved stimulating the vascular angiogenesis, permeability, and remodeling and ameliorating the allergen- and RV-induced airways hyperreactivity.

Moreover, Anthraquinones also inhibited airway inflammation through decreasing the white blood cell and cytokine/chemokine expression, mucus hypersecretion, and protein associated with the overexpression of the immune response.

Addtionally, anthraquinones also boosted the cytokines which play a crucial role in protecting the airway by the initiating inflammatory responses through inducing recruitment and activation of immune cells.

Dr. and colleagues wrote in the final report, "Non-cytotoxic anthraquinone derivatives may be of therapeutic benefit for the treatment of severe and RV-induced asthma".

Taken altogether, herbal Cascara Sagrada may be considered a functional remedy for the prevention and combined with primary medicine for the treatment of asthma.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

References
(1) Targeted abrogation of diverse signal transduction cascades by emodin for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and cancer by Shrimali D, Shanmugam MK, Kumar AP, Zhang J, Tan BK, Ahn KS, Sethi G.(PubMed)
(2) Inhibiting AKT Phosphorylation Employing Non-Cytotoxic Anthraquinones Ameliorates TH2 Mediated Allergic Airways Disease and Rhinovirus Exacerbation by Cesar de Souza Alves C, Collison A, Hatchwell L, Plank M, Morten M, Foster PS, Johnston SL, França da Costa C, Vieira de Almeida M, Couto Teixeira H, Paula Ferreira A, Mattes J.(PubMed)
(3) Obesity and Asthma by E. Rand Sutherland, MD, MPH. (PMC)