EXPECTORANT AND DEMULCENT HERBS

Expectorant herbs promote the discharge of phlegm and mucus from the
body. They clear the lungs and nasal passages, but also the stomach.
They are useful in respiratory afflictions, chronic or acute colds, flus,
asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia. Such problems Ayurveda refers to as
kasa and svasa, which mean literally cough and dyspnea (difficult
breathing).
They may also be helpful in digestive problems because mucus has its
origin in the stomach and may clog the gastrointestinal tract, giving rise
to indigestion and poor assimilation.
Phlegm and mucus can accumulate anywhere in the body, causing
various growths or tumors (generally benign). They
may accumulate under the skin, for example, and can clog the channels
of the circulatory and other systems, leading to all manner of diseases,
including nervous disorders.
Expectorant herbs are of two kinds and work in two different ways.
Some expectorants, like ginger, remove mucus by a drying action. They
are mainly pungent in taste and hot in energy, and may also be stimulant,
diaphoretic or carminative herbs. (A few, however, like horehound, are
bitter in taste and cooling in energy and are particularly good for Pitta.)
Others, like licorice, help remove mucus by a moistening action. They
increase and liquify Kapha, promoting its flow out of the body. They are
mainly sweet and cold herbs. These are also demulcent and emollient
herbs, mucilaginous substances that have a softening and soothing effect
upon the skin and mucous membranes.
Warming and drying expectorants dispel chill and dampness, decrease
Kapha and Ama, increase Pitta and Agni, and are particularly good for
Kapha or Kapha- Vata type colds and respiratory afflictions.
Cooling and moistening expectorants dispel heat and dryness, liquify
Kapha and Ama, and work more on Vata or Pitta-Vata type colds and
respiratory, afflictions of sore throat or dry, hacking cough.
Most expectorants possess cough-relieving action, as coughs are usually
caused by mucus blockage or irritation of the respiratory passages.
Hence we include most cough-relieving herbs in this category (though
some possess more specific action from nervine or antispasmodic
properties).
Coughs should similarly be discriminated as wet (productive) or dry
(unproductive) and treated with the appropriate kinds of herbs. Cough or
cold with clear, abundant phlegm usually indicates Kapha disorder,
chill-damp. Cough or cold with yellow phlegm or inflammation of the
mucous membranes usually indicates fever or Pitta derangement, damp-
heat. Dry cough along with scanty phlegm and chill usually indicates
Vata, particularly if it is a chronic condition.
Coughs and colds are basically Kapha disorders, as mucus is Kapha and
Kapha has as its site the stomach and lungs. Chronic colds and mucous
congestion are often relieved by therapeutic vomiting, emetic therapy, a
kind of radical expectorant action.
Moistening expectorants or demulcents can be used externally to help
heal sores, wounds or ulcers. They are nutritive and promote cell
growth, as well as being anti-inflammatory.
They are the closest category in western herbology to true tonics in the
Ayurvedic sense; sweet, nutritive herbs that directly feed and strengthen
the organs and tissues. They can be called lung tonics. Some have
rejuvenative action. By their softening action, some are laxatives.
The soothing action of demulcent herbs gives them a power to help calm
the heart and nerves. They are effective nervines in Vata conditions of
dehydration and tissue depletion. Demulcent herbs alleviate dryness-
caused friction that irritates physiological function. They feed the
mucous membranes and the connective tissue.
Both kinds of expectorants may be combined to help balance their
action. Hot, dry expectorants, like ginger, may be used with a
moistening expectorant like licorice, so as not to aggravate Vata or Pitta
by its dryness or heat. Cold, moist expectorants may require the addition
of a hot, pungent herb like ginger, as they are heavy and hard to digest
and may aggravate Ama. The effect of a formula depends upon the
predomination of herbs in it and should not be too one-sided in action.
Typical drying expectorants: boneset, calamus, cardamom, cinnamon,
cloves, cubebs, elecampane, ginger (dry), horehound, hyssop, mustard
seeds, orange peel, pippah, sage, wild ginger, yerba sama.
Typical moistening expectorants or demulcents: bamboo (vamsha
rochana), chickweed, comfrey root, flaxseed, Irish moss, licorice,
maiden-hair fern, marshmallow, milk, raw sugar, slippery elm,
Solomons seal.
Typical cough-relieving herbs: apricot seeds, bayberry, coltsfoot,
ephedra (ma huang), eucalyptus, grindelia, horehound, mullein, osha,
thyme, wild cherry.