Asthma

HEALTH CONDITION: Chronic Lung Disease and Asthma

Asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) are common lung diseases that
greatly degrade the quality of life of those who suffer from them. These two chronic diseases are
also a major economic burden on society.
Asthma affects more than 5% of the population of the US, including children. It is a chronic
inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by coughing, shortness of breath, and chest
tightness. A variety of "triggers" may initiate or worsen an asthma attack, including viral respiratory
infections, exercise, and exposure to irritants such as tobacco smoke. The physiological symptoms
of asthma are a narrowing of the airways caused by edema (fluid in the intracellular tissue space)
and the influx of inflammatory cells into the walls of the airways.

PhytoCort™ supplement:
Recent research has demonstrated the efficacy of an oral combination of traditional
Chinese herbs in supporting healthy breathing.* PhytoCort™ is an enhanced
formulation based on this research.*

With the FDA restriction on herbal products containing ephedra (Ma Huang), natural
medicine doctors scrambled to find another effective herbal supplement that would
support people with asthma. PhytoCort™ does not contain Ma Huang (ephedra),
which can pose risks to cardiovascular and nervous functions in very large doses.
This blend of four Chinese herbs is poised to fill the void and may become an
effective and safe supplement to support people with chronic asthma and an
alternative option for all-too-common prednisone.

Read more info......

Clinical Data:
In a 2005 landmark study [1] researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, the
Weifang Asthma Hospital and the Weifang School of Medicine in China, demonstrated the efficacy
of an oral combination of three Chinese herbs in alleviating asthma symptoms, without the severe
side effects normally associated with corticosteroid and prednisone therapy.

The researchers conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study, the researchers investigated
the effects of a combination of three Chinese herbal extracts, which are main ingredients of
PhytoCort: Ganoderma lucidum, Sophora flavensis and Glycyrrhiza uralensis (these herbs are also
known as Reishi, Shrubby Sophora and Chinese Licorice).

Ninety-two non-smoking patients with symptoms of moderate to severe asthma were recruited to
participate in the study. The herbal combination was compared against prednisone in a four-week
measure of asthmatic symptom relief. The results showed that the combined herbal extracts
significantly reduced the participants’ symptom scores, increased lung function, and reduced the
patients’ use of an emergency inhaler. There was also a marked reduction in the number of the
white blood cells that often accompany allergic responses and serum antibody IgE levels (A high
level of antibody IgE is believed to cause hypersensitivity in asthma patients).

While both groups showed a significant improvement in lung function, the effects of prednisone
were slightly greater. In both groups, there was a significant reduction in symptom scores and a
reduced need for beta-2 bronchodilator therapy. But what’s even more striking is that the herbal
extracts actually had an immune-boosting effect on the patients taking it. Subjects in the
prednisone group showed a significant reduction in serum cortisol. In contrast, patients in the
herbal group showed increased cortisol. This means that the adrenal function of the herbal
treatment group appeared to be improved, whereas the adrenal function of the prednisone group
appeared to be further reduced.

The researchers concluded: “Taken together, the findings of this study show that ASHMI is effective
and well-tolerated in nonsteroid-dependent patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma.”

References:
[1] Wen MC, Wei CH, Hu ZQ, Srivastava K, Ko J, Xi ST, Mu DZ, Du JB, Li GH, Wallenstein S,
Sampson H, Kattan M, Li XM. Efficacy and tolerability of anti-asthma herbal medicine intervention in
adult patients with moderatesevere allergic asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Sep;116(3):517-
24.
[2] Hoang BX, Levine SA, Shaw DG, Pham P. Broncho-pulmonary hyper-excitability model of
asthma pathogenesis: new approach in asthma treatment using excitatory modulator. Med
Hypothesis. 2006 Jun 22; [Epub ahead of print].

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.