Plantago major L. Significantly Improves Symptoms of Acute Bronchitis

by | Nov 26, 2024 | Botanicals, Lung Health, Recent Articles

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Science Writer. Overall, bronchitis severity score was better in the Plantago major group compared to placebo (P< 0 .001).

Lung Health, bronchitisAcute bronchitis, which occurs mostly in the winter, is characteristic of a dry/productive cough and usually is a result of a viral infection. Symptoms usually last less than three weeks and patients usually do not present with pneumonia during episodes of acute bronchitis1,2. Common treatments to relieve the cough caused by acute bronchitis includes expectorants, decongestants, antitussives, beta-2 receptor agonists, and antihistamines2. Plantago Major L. is an herb used in Persian medicine with antibiotic effects3  and has been widely used to treat various diseases4  including chronic bronchitis5. In this study, researchers investigated the effect of Plantago major on cough caused by acute bronchitis6.

The study was designed as a double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial conducted on patients between the ages of 20 and 75 years old. Patients were enlisted in this trial upon referral to the clinic for infectious disease. Medical professionals confirmed the presence of acute bronchitis caused by a viral infection and bronchitis severity was rated using the Bronchitis Severity Scale (BSS). Patients who scored ≥5 on the Bronchitis Severity Scale were entered into this study. Individuals were excluded if they were pregnant or breastfeeding, had any history of lung diseases, defects, or disorders, a history of alcohol or substance abuse, liver/kidney dysfunction, psychological disorder, or was taking immunosuppressive, mucolytic, antitussive drugs or glucocorticoids before the study. Demographic information was collected from each patient that was qualified for this trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or Plantago major syrup at 10ml three times daily for 10 days. Participants were followed up before the treatment, on day 5, and on day 10. Patients or the patient’s caregivers was requested to record the patient’s symptoms daily. The primary outcome was the effect on the severity of acute bronchitis based on the Bronchitis Severity Scale (BSS) and the secondary outcome was quality of life, dyspnea, consistency of sputum, chest wall pain, and cough frequency. Researchers utilized the intent to treat analysis to evaluate the effect of Plantago major syrup compared to placebo.

A total of 80 patients met the eligibility requirements for this trial. 40 patients each were randomly assigned to the placebo and treatment groups. The average age of patients was 42.87 ±11.75 years old and the average BMI was 27.92 ±4.43 with 53% of participants being women. No significant differences were observed at baseline between the two groups. After 10 days of treatment with Plantago major syrup, researchers observed a significant improvement in cough (P= 0.001), sputum (P= 0.005), and chest wall pain (P= 0.08) severity compared to placebo. Overall, bronchitis severity score was better in the Plantago major group compared to placebo (P< 0 .001). Researchers also observed a significant improvement in the quality of life in the patients receiving Plantago major compared to placebo (P< 0.001). No significant adverse effects were observed between either group.

Treatment with Plantago major syrup significantly improved quality of life and bronchitis severity compared to the placebo. Additional studies will be needed to verify these results.

Source: Naderi, Alireza, Seyyed Ali Mozaffarpur, Hoda Shirafkan, Masomeh Bayani, and Zahra Memariani. “Effect of Plantago major on cough severity in acute bronchitis: A double-blind randomized clinical trial.” Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine 15, no. 4 (2024): 651.

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Posted November 26, 2024.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

References:

  1. Cingi CC, Eroğlu DT. in Respiratory Distress. Airway Diseases. 2023:277.
  2. Singh A, Avula A, Zahn E. Acute Bronchitis. StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing Copyright © 2024, StatPearls Publishing LLC.; 2024.
  1. ABBASI A, MADDAH SM, ALI DS, KAMALINEJAD M. Antibacterial Activity of Herbal Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata extracts on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with emphasis on Exotoxin A gene expression and Bioinformatics approach. 2022;
  2. Samuelsen AB. The traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities of Plantago major L. A review. J Ethnopharmacol. Jul 2000;71(1-2):1-21. doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(00)00212-9
  3. Matev M, Angelova I, Koĭchev A, Leseva M, Stefanov G. Clinical trial of a Plantago major preparation in the treatment of chronic bronchitis. Vutreshni bolesti. 1982;21(2):133-137.
  4. Naderi A, Mozaffarpur SA, Shirafkan H, Bayani M, Memariani Z. Effect of Plantago major on cough severity in acute bronchitis: A double-blind randomized clinical trial. Caspian J Intern Med. Fall 2024;15(4):651-658. doi:10.22088/cjim.15.4.651

 

 

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