In the 21st century we smugly dismiss herbal remedies for asthma as "old wives tales" but this is a foolish attitude. For 5,000 years of recorded history, and undoubtedly many centuries before, humans have been using plants and nature as cures for many diseases and ailments. "Modern" medicine has only existed for a mere instant of time and it's arrogant to assume that thousands of years of herbal medicine is of no value to us whatsoever. Here are four herbal remedies that are far older than our current medical practices.



The Old Fashioned 'Mustard Plaster':

The famous mustard plaster is indeed used on the chest, but it doesn't involve opening a jar of Grey Poupon and smearing it around. Instead, you must locate the leaves of the mustard plant which grow wild and can also be cultivated in your garden. Once you have the leaves and stems, mash them into a green pulp.

Next, coat your chest with a protective barrier like petroleum jelly or any oil that is solid at room temperature, in order to prevent any blistering. Cover your chest with the mustard pulp and keep it in place with some gauze or a bandage. Lie down for a couple of hours, or even overnight, and your chest should be much relieved.

John Wesley's Fondness For Carrots:

Yes, carrots are a great asthma reliever. We commonly think of carrots as long, orange vegetables, but in truth they grow all over the world and there are carrots that are red, purple, pale gold, pure white and a canary yellow. The reverend John Wesley, (1703 – 1791), founder of the Methodist church, habitually ate boiled carrots and drank warm carrot broth to relieve his chronic asthma. Wesley claimed that carrots enabled him to keep a regular preaching schedule that would have been impossible without the aid of his beloved vegetable.

Fragrant Chamomile For Drinking And Breathing:

Chamomile refers to several different species of plant but the one westerners are most familiar with is the German chamomile. This especially fragrant plant is an annual, with lovely flowers, that is frequently used to induce sleep. But the fact that it provides great relief for allergies and asthma is less well known.

To make chamomile tea, boil a pint of water, remove it from the heat and add two teaspoons of dried flowers. Allow it to steep for 5-10 minutes. For asthma relief, drink 3-4 cups of warm tea each day. Children can safely drink 1-2 cups.

For even more asthma relief, fill a pan with approximately four inches of boiling water and sprinkle in a handful of chamomile. When the water has cooled so that it is still slightly steaming, but not boiling hot, place your face over the pan and over your head with a heavy towel so that it acts as a tent. Breathe in these wonderfully aromatic fumes until the water cools. You can safely repeat this treatment as often as you like.

Garlic Salve Halts Chest Congestion:

Garlic is truly a wonderful plant. It kills infection, acts as a blood thinner, seasons food - and acts as a wonderful chest congestant. To make a salve to relieve an asthmatically-constricted chest, peel and mince 6-8 garlic cloves and drop them into a jar that can withstand high temperatures, such as a canning jar.

Next, cover the garlic with melted Crisco or other shortening that will harden at room temperature. If desired, you can also add a small amount of eucalyptus oil to make the mixture more fragrant.

Put the oil and garlic into boiling water and let it sit, without a top, for about three hours. At the end of this time, stir it and pour it into smaller jars for storage. When needed, simply rub into your chest until the oil is absorbed, cover for a time with a towel, and wait for the relief that is soon to come.

The beautiful thing about these natural four remedies is that they cannot possibly harm you in any way. Can you say the same thing about any asthma drugs you are currently ingesting?