Unless you are a professional singer or play the bassoon, you may not think very often about the strength of your lungs. And yet these powerful organs bring oxygen into our body and empty out waste materials every time we breathe. I think we have all been in a situation where our ability to take a breath was limited. Maybe it was stumbling into water over our heads, getting the wind knocked out of us when we fell off the monkey bars, or maybe it was an asthma attack. We crave air, we crave oxygen, and we are frantic without it.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of ways this system can become impaired. Part of it is the toxic world in which we live, with a great many air pollutants that stress our delicate lung tissue. But much of it is the result of infection, chronic oxidative stress, and/or chronic inflammation. When our lungs are exposed to pathological (disease causing) micro-organisms, the immune system is activated. More mucous accumulates in the lungs, and coughing commences to expel the “gunk” from the lower lobes of our respiratory system. With chronic inflammation, our lungs can tighten up or spasm, reducing the ability to fully inflate and fully exhale, as can happen with asthma. If our heart is weak and not beating forcefully, fluid can accumulate and start to fill the lungs, which is a terrible sensation akin to drowning that must be addressed and relieved quickly. Another problem that can affect the lungs is the development of lung cancer, which impairs air exchange.

There are effective treatments for many lung issues, and there are certainly dietary supplements that can make a tremendous difference in lung function.

Boswellia

You may have heard that boswellia is the same as frankincense, that ancient, treasured oil, but that is not entirely true. Boswellia used for the lungs is an extract specifically from the Boswellia serrata tree, while frankincense is an essential oil from any of the 24 species of boswellia trees that grow from northern Africa, through the Middle East, and into Southeast Asia.

Boswellia has some excellent research on its ability to inhibit cancer cell reproduction and invasion. Preliminary cellular work shows it has excellent anti-cancer activity against lung cancer as well.

Boswellia is a specific inhibitor of an inflammatory pathway that is usually activated in any kind of lung inflammation, called the 5-LOX enzyme. No over the counter drug can reduce 5-LOX inflammation. A family of prescription drugs called steroids can reduce 5-LOX, but they cannot be used long-term because of dangerous, even life-threatening side effects. Finding a powerful botanical that has proven effectiveness in reducing 5-LOX inflammation is invaluable when dealing with lung issues.

Regardless of cause, whether allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, asthma or even the cold or flu, boswellia can be effective. This botanical has been shown to open airways and reduce inflammation/swelling in both sinus and lung tissue.

Asthma is an inflammatory lung condition in which triggers cause the airways to tighten and mucous production to ramp up. Breathing is impaired. Severe asthma attacks are an emergency and urgent care is needed.

Please be assured that I am not suggesting that people with asthma toss out their inhalers and rely on boswellia. Anyone with this condition should ALWAYS have an emergency inhaler at hand. However, boswellia can make a real difference in reducing daily disease activity and inflammation.

In a published human study, boswellia was tested in 40 people with asthma, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years old. At the end of the study, the researchers reported that 70 percent of the participants showed significant improvement. Another clinical study further validated boswellia’s effectiveness in combination as well. In this study, 63 people were divided into two groups. One group used the herbal combination of boswellia, licorice root and turmeric root. The other received a placebo. After four weeks of use, the herbal group showed a statistically significant drop in leukotriene levels and other inflammatory markers compared to the placebo group, which is especially important to people with asthma.

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a chronic lung disease that worsens over time. COPD is caused by damage o the lungs that results in inflammation and constricted breathing, especially with exhaling. That is why the TV commercials for emphysema or asthma drugs always show people blowing up balloons or blowing out candles—these are very difficult tasks from someone with COPD. Boswellia can be beneficial in this illness as well.

Because boswellia can inhibit a compound called human leukocyte elastase (HLE) that triggers many of the troublesome symptoms of COPD, boswellia can make a difference even in serious chronic conditions. Boswellia can stop bronchial inflammation and open bronchial airways. There is also preliminary evidence that boswellia can reduce the damage caused to the bronchi that tends to worsen over time.

Not all boswellia products are created equal. AKBA, a very important boswellic acid that is strongly anti-inflammatory, can have levels as low as 1 percent in unstandardized boswellia products. If you are using boswellia for a lung problem, you should make sure that it is standardized to at least 10 percent AKBA. Researchers found that one of the compounds in boswellia called “beta boswellic acid,” is problematic because it interferes with AKBA’s ability to combat 5-LOX inflammation. For that reason, boswellia should be purified to reduce the BBA levels to less than 5 percent, because unstandardized products can contain as much as 25 percent of this problematic compound.

Essential Oils Can Help

There are additional herbs that are sometimes used in conjunction with boswellia, or on their own, that have bene shown to have specific lung benefits. Three essential oils have excellent studies: thyme, ravintsara and myrtle. However, essential oils are extremely concentrated. It can take a few tons of plant material to make a single liter of essential oils. Some essential oils are harmless (peppermint oil in peppermint candies and gum), and some are toxic (wintergreen is poisonous and should never be used internally). Therefore, it is very important that you work with companies that have strict quality control over the identity of the plants used and exact dosages. Because of these challenges, I much prefer encapsulated essential oils over liquids when used internally. This reduces accidental dosing errors.

Thyme (Thymus satureioides) contains powerful compounds called thymol and carvacrol that are highly effective in helping many aspects of breathing. These compounds can stop the spasmodic coughing and discomfort in the throat, relax airways for better oxygen exchange, and boost cilia (the microscopic fluttering projections in the lungs) strength and activity to mechanically move mucous and phlegm to the upper regions of the lungs to be expelled from the body via the cough mechanism.

Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora) is not as well known in the U.S. as it is in Europe, but it has excellent benefits. It has been shown to have strong antibacterial potential and reduces both inflammation and oxidative stress.

Myrtle (Myrtus communis), in addition to being the name of my grandmother’s elderly next door neighbor, is a botanical used in traditional medicine throughout the Mediterranean. Myrtle leaves produce an oil that is a powerful antioxidant, and it possess both antiseptic and antibacterial activities. This essential oil has been used in popular natural medicines in Europe for more than 75 years. Myrtle works very synergistically with thyme because it also boosts cilia activity to more effectively clear mucus from the lungs.

Ivy Leaf

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” That is a bit of the story of ivy. While it is ornamental, in the wrong environment it is an invasive species that can damage trees. In the right environment, it yields a powerful natural medicine that opens and clears the lungs, reducing dry, ineffective coughing.

Ivy (Hedra helix) contains a medicinal compound called hederacoside C that has been clinically studied in both children and adults and used in Europe for more than 50 years. Ivy leaf extract is a clinically proven medicine for bronchitis, asthma, colds and influenza.

Ivy certainly wears a lot of hats. It is an expectorant, which means it helps rid the lungs of the heavy phlegm that can sit on the little alveoli and limit air exchange. It helps thin mucous, it relaxes the bronchi, which in turn allows for easier breathing.

A meta-analysis of double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies found the Bronchial Severity Score (a common clinical measure of respiratory symptoms, abbreviated BSS) improved significantly after two days in patients with acute respiratory tract infections. In four days, the ivy leaf extract group scores were at a level of recovery that took seven days for the placebo group to achieve.

For people who are concerned with asthma, ivy leaf extract has also been found to be part of an effective regimen. This botanical inhibits a signaling cascade that causes bronchial constriction, in addition to reducing cytokine IL-6, part of the inflammatory cascade. Other research has shown that ivy leaf extract can be helpful for children with mild allergy-induced asthma, even if they are already using an inhaler as their primary conventional medicine.

Two observation trials in Europe found that coughing improved in 90 percent of the cases, and that respiratory pain and discomfort (a crucial factor, considering the muscles involved in coughing) disappeared completely for 60 percent of participants.

Other Considerations

In pulling together this information, the focus was specifically on the lungs and breathing. There are a myriad other useful supplements that are more targeted as antibacterial, antiviral and even antifungal, such as purified propolis, lactoferrin, elderberry, andrographis and quercetin, to name a few. Addressing infection is very important for lung health. There are also other amazing nutrients that promote lung health, like the powerful anti-inflammatory botanical curcumin, vitamin D and zinc for disease resistance, and vitamins A and C for immune strength. The answer to complex health conditions is rarely one natural medicine, but rather a protocol of several effective supplements to have a broader spectrum of benefits.VR

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Cheryl Myers is an integrative health nurse, author, and an expert on natural medicine. She is a nationally recognized speaker who has been interviewed by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Prevention magazine. Her many articles have been published in such diverse journals as Aesthetic Surgery Journal and Nutrition in Complementary Care, and her research on botanicals has been presented at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the North American Menopause Society. Myers is the head of scientific affairs and education for EuroPharma, Inc.