Beneficial Herbs for the Lungs

[fydesvindico]

Hi guys, thought i'd share some great herbs for the typical Bong cough or any other lung complaints we may have. Feel free to add any extras that you might know of. peace!

Elecampane: (Inula Helenium) good for smokers, helps with better breathing efficiency restoring the lungs by healing damaged lung linings. either use as a tea for lung conditions or suck on a root piece to help with sore throats.

elecampane root was traded around europe by french monks as a cough lozenge. it was also used against tuberculosis.

Mullein: (Verbascum Thapus) good for coughs and mucus build up. use as a tea, or spin with tobacco or cannabis when smoking to help repair and clean the lungs.

mullein was smoked by native american indians for sore throats and lung congestion. other ancient cultures believed that it had magical protection against witchcraft and other evil spirits.

Coltsfoot: (Tussilago Farfara) this herb is restricted and may be hard to find but is another great lung cleansing herb for smokers relieving lung congestion and coughs. can be either spun with tobacco or cannabis, or drunk as a tea for immediate relief.

coltsfoot was recommended by ancient greek physicians for coughs and asthma.

Lobelia Inflata: (indian tobacco) another restricted herb great for lung complaints, can be smoked or used as a tea. (beware, small quantities can be smoked for a cannabis like high and lung cleanser but if drunk as a tea in small doses it'll will act as a stimulant, in large doses a relaxant and emetic [perhaps too relaxing haha]).

lobelia inflata was used as a sacrament in north american peace pipe smoking rituals, in the 19th century it was said that there was no herb more powerful in removing disease and promoting good health.

*Edit* note: the smoking of any dried plant material can damage the alveoli and paralyze the cilia that line your lungs, the herbs mentioned above contain less toxic chemicals then (manufactured) tobacco and at least have some beneficial effects unlike many other readily available products. tobacco itself has been used since pre-historic times by central and south americans, ingested by drinking, smoking, snorting, chewing, sucking and licking, applied as an ointment and used rectally as an enema. smoking any plant material is not recommended unless used sparingly and correctly. if your smoking, you may as well smoke something thats beneficial along with it :-)

Edited August 4, 2010 by fydesvindico

[faustus]

whenever he got a throat infection from too much smoking, a mate of mine would gargle cocaine solution for the pain. so i'd probably add coca to this list... then again, one time he did just take thyroid hormone because he couldn't be fucked putting on a jumper.

but all i really wanted to say is that as far as i'm aware, inhaling ANY burnt plant matter will never be beneficial to your lungs, even if it amelioriates a particular symptom e.g. bad cough. and yes, i know that studies have found cannabinoids have anti-tumour properties, but this is from the cannabinoids proper, and not burnt plant matter per se.

and the reason why i state the obvious is cos yes, i've met a number of smokers who've believed otherwise.

[Auxin]

That fuzz on mullein is real bad for lungs man, if you smoke it put a filter on the thing

[zero]

sorry but why would you bother to smoke coca leaf?

this is a great post, I have never read about those herbs before.

have to add some of them to my wanted list

Edited August 3, 2010 by zero

[faustus]

cocaine is a sodium channel blocker -- will act as a local anaesthetic for sore throats. has been used by natives for this reason.

don;t think you can smoke coca, you'd either infuse it in a tea or chew it.

then again, could always just get the strepsils lozenges with lignocaine

[paradox]

whenever he got a throat infection from too much smoking, a mate of mine would gargle cocaine solution for the pain. so i'd probably add coca to this list... then again, one time he did just take thyroid hormone because he couldn't be fucked putting on a jumper.

but all i really wanted to say is that as far as i'm aware, inhaling ANY burnt plant matter will never be beneficial to your lungs, even if it amelioriates a particular symptom e.g. bad cough. and yes, i know that studies have found cannabinoids have anti-tumour properties, but this is from the cannabinoids proper, and not burnt plant matter per se.

and the reason why i state the obvious is cos yes, i've met a number of smokers who've believed otherwise.

 

hahaha i know the kind of friend you mean.. not sure if it's worth mentioning or not but from my understanding inhaling very small amounts of the smoke of certain benign (or active) herbs can be beneficial as a decongestant, as when only small amounts are inhaled the tar/soot will congeal only on the mucous inside the lungs & not on the lung tissue itself, which will help bind the mucous together & be more easily hocked up. though it's obviously a pretty flawed treatment...

[FancyPants]

Yeah I've had a bit of waterpipe throat recently and the herb Faustus was talking about in a tea (about five or six bags at a time) is wonderful for a sore dry and otherwise inflamed throat.

I'm told a teaspoon or so of bicarb soda facilitates tea a bit better, too.

Edited August 4, 2010 by FancyPants

[Chiral]

Some of these herbs would be more beneficial if used as steam bath inhalation...any kind of smoke inhalation is not good, a dunce could tell you that, but steam inhalation yes i could see that would be quite good...ephedra being one of course.

[t st tantra]

coltsfoot is amazingly effective!get some if you ever come across it.

heimia seems to clear the chest in the day after smoking it.still investigating this....

t s t .

[Evil Genius]

Like chiral said....Ephedra is very good for asthma.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Evil Genius

[nabraxas]

whenever he got a throat infection from too much smoking, a mate of mine would gargle cocaine solution for the pain

though probably not as effective, aspirin is pretty good to gargle w/for sore throats...damn sight cheaper too.

[planthelper]

sorry but why would you bother to smoke coca leaf?

 

coca leaves make a resonable good smoke, why would you smoke them, well because smoking is a incredible methode of administration.

[Auxin]

Many people seem to think smoking coca leaf is futile based on the fact that the alkaloids are there in their salt forms and people erroniously extrapolate over pure cocaine hydrochlorides boiling point to the native citrates or whatever and then further assume smoking wouldnt get hot enough or the heat would destroy the goodies.

Consider this: cocaine would be liberated from smoked coca about as well as atropine, et al. would be liberated from smoked Datura, and thats well known to be active.

Pluswhich I've heard whispers about coca leaf being used for changa to good effect

[coin]

a few used in Ayurveda that come to mind

Vasa/vasaka, Adhatoda vasica: broncho dilatory, expectorant and mucolytic properties (contains vasicine/vasicinone)

Kantakari, Solanum xanthocarpum: for cough, asthma and pains in the chest

Karkatshringi, Pistacia integerrima (galls): alleviate coughs and edema in the lungs

Pippali, Piper longum (long pepper): primarily used for cold, wet and 'mucusy' conditions of the lungs. Pippali encourages vasodilation and therefore increases circulation. asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia

[zero]

Many people seem to think smoking coca leaf is futile based on the fact that the alkaloids are there in their salt forms and people erroniously extrapolate over pure cocaine hydrochlorides boiling point to the native citrates or whatever and then further assume smoking wouldnt get hot enough or the heat would destroy the goodies.

Consider this: cocaine would be liberated from smoked coca about as well as atropine, et al. would be liberated from smoked Datura, and thats well known to be active.

Pluswhich I've heard whispers about coca leaf being used for changa to good effect

 

what about a vape pipe?

[indigo264nm]

I remember vaguely my mother (who's a naturopath) telling me that Lobelia and Coltsfoot were great for the lungs but also that it was there was some legal issue with prescribing that for oral consumption... apparently only topical applications were allowed.

Anybody know anything about this??

[mutant]

Smoking datura leaf and probably other tropanes are good for asthma...

[tryptamine]

Perhaps some of these beneficial lung herbs could be consumed in a vaporizer as opposed to being smoked?

[Micromegas]

i have to concur on the use of coltsfoot as a tea for benefiting the lungs. i was told by another member that a tea of this plant did wonders in relieving symptomatic effects of smoking on the lungs after just one cup before bed. well i have to say i have been quite astonished by the effectiveness of this plant in clearing up the lungs after three cups in three days. that feels like about enough but this is a great plant imho.