Cough: Experts recommend potent herbal syrups to provide relief

CURRENTLY, everywhere is covered with dust, as is coughing, oftentimes with a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and sniffling. While the nose typically clears up after a few days, the cough persists and will require cough medicines.

Herbal cough syrup has also gained popularity in recent years as people seek natural alternatives to conventional medicines for self-treatment. The stem barks of Prosopis africana and Anogeissus leiocarpus have been traditionally employed in treating several respiratory diseases, including cough.

In a recent study, specialists mixed the aqueous stem bark extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus and Prosopis africana to create a herbal syrup formulation.

It was sweetened with sugar, honey, or a mix of the two, along with preservatives and additional sweeteners as needed.

They claim that the herbal extracts that were produced into a stable syrup formulation with honey as a vehicle for the relief of cough and/or related symptoms also have significant inhibitory effects against microorganisms that have been evaluated.

The developed cough syrup, which is brown to dark brown and has a characteristic smell with a sweet to bitter taste, was found to be the most stable after 30 days of storage at different temperatures.

Researchers at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, aimed to create a herbal syrup formulation from the combined aqueous stem bark extracts of Prosopis africana and Anogeissus leiocarpus, that could be used to treat cough, as reported in the Journal of Medicinal Herbs in 2023.

One of the most prevalent symptoms in children is cough, which is primarily brought on by upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs).

Parents and kids may find it especially upsetting when their child coughs while sleeping because it frequently causes discomfort and sleep deprivation for the child.

Cough is a major cause of outpatient visits because it can impact quality of life, cause anxiety, and affect sleep in children and their parents; thus, effective treatments are needed.

In Nigeria, P. africana is variously called Okpei (Igbo), Ayan (Yoruba), Okpeghe (Idoma and Tiv), and Kiriya or Kiriaya (Hausa).

Almost all parts of the tree of Prosopis africana are used in medicine; the leaves in particular are used for the treatment of headaches and toothaches, as well as various other head ailments. The roots are diuretic and are used to treat gonorrhoea, tooth and stomach pain, dysentery, and bronchitis.

Anogeissus leiocarpus (African birch (English) or Marke (Hausa) or Kojoli (Fulani) or Atara (Igbo) or Ayin (Yoruba)) is mainly used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes and is also used for dyeing traditional textile and leather materials in Africa. In northern Niger, it is considered the best chewing gum substitute for gum Arabic.

In Sudanese traditional medicine, decoctions of the stem bark of Anogeissus leiocarpa are used for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). It is also used for the treatment of diabetic ulcers, toothaches, general body pain, blood clots, asthma, and coughs.

A blend of herbs is used in the formulation of herbal syrup for the treatment of coughs. These are ginger, licorice root, Glycyrrhiza, holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), honey, peppermint, adulsa (Justicia adhatoda), and clove.

Indian researchers, in the International Journal of Novel Research and Development, had formulated and evaluated herbal cough syrups made with these herbal parts based on their previous studies on herbal cough and herbal treatments associated with cough.

Three formulations of herbal cough syrup were prepared. One had ginger (2–3 gm), liquorice (4 gm), and holy basil leaves (15–20 leaves). Another contained cinnamon (2 gm), turmeric (1-2 gm), cardamom (2 gm) and honey as a flavouring agent. The last was a mixture of peppermint (2 gm), adulsa (3 gm), and clove (2 gm).

Another trend in polyherbal cough syrups is the inclusion of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium. These nutrients can boost the immune system and help fight off infections that can cause coughs.

Honey has been examined in several randomised controlled trials for the treatment of cough, but the results varied.

The latest systematic reviews published in 2018 and 2021 stated that honey is an effective treatment for cough and causes no severe harm; therefore, it could be used to treat acute cough.

The systematic review in 2021 included both adults and children. It concluded that honey is an effective alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of acute cough, though its efficacy was not compared to antibiotics. An acute cough is typically classified as a cough lasting less than 4 weeks.

In the study, published in the West African Journal of Medicine, cough and frequency severity decreased, post-intervention pooled carers’ burden significantly reduced, and sleep patterns improved among children and carers, respectively, in the two groups.

Certainly, the prospects of polyherbal cough syrup are quite positive, as there is increasing interest in natural and herbal remedies for respiratory illnesses. As more research is conducted, more effective and targeted formulations that can provide relief for a range of coughs will be developed.