For ASTHMA, the botanical blend of peppermint-rosemary-thyme is an expectorant that loosens secretions, while it also eases coughing, and relaxes smooth muscles in the trachea and air passages so that they dilate and open for easier breathing.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has a rich and varied history in both the medical and culinary worlds. Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming, and during the plague, townspeople burned large bundles of the herb without the scientific knowledge of its antibacterial, insecticidal, and antifungal properties. Native to the sunny, rocky areas of the Mediterranean, herbalists have relied on this aromatic herb for hundreds of years to relieve asthma, coughs, and bronchitis.

For lung issues, modern research shows that thyme has expectorant properties as well as antispasmodic effects on smooth muscle. The expectorant effect (which means it loosens secretions, making them easier to cough up and allowing for better airway expansion) helps the body clear respiratory mucus. Thyme also works as a spasmolytic which means it can help with coughing fits and calm the respiratory muscles which is very important for asthma sufferers.

Thyme oil is the most important active ingredient of Thymus vulgaris, which has numerous phytochemical compounds, such as terpenoids, phenolics, and tannins. Thyme oil’s medicinal effects are attributed to its main active components: thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene, and linalool, which have antispasmodic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
Due to this lengthy list of potent benefits, thyme is suggested as a “novel adjuvant therapy for bronchial asthma” in the following study. Bronchial asthma causes chronic airway inflammation with extensive airway remodeling: These changes include alterations in the mucosal and submucosal structure with epithelial disruption and mucous overproduction, constriction of bronchial smooth muscle, mucosal edema, and thickening of the airways.

The drugs commonly used help reduce asthmatic attacks by preventing degranulation of mast cells, relaxing smooth muscle, reducing airway remodeling, and alleviating the symptoms of asthma, yet they are expensive and cause numerous side effects. This in vivo study was able to elucidate what makes thyme oil an effective remedy.¹ Its multiple phenolic compounds offer the following medicinal benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory: Airway remodeling occurs when the body releases proinflammatory substances including Th2 cytokines. These in turn induce airway hyper-responsiveness, ultimately causing edema, and bronchospasm and acute reversible obstruction of the airflow.
  • Thyme oil reduces chronic lung inflammation and other inflammatory diseases by modulating their inflammatory and apoptotic (cell-destroying) signaling pathways.
  • It decreases the production of proinflammatory mediators and calms down the inflammatory cascade.
• Antioxidant properties: Thyme has the highest antioxidant content of any herb. Thyme’s phenolic antioxidants, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and thymonin, help neutralize and eliminate free radicals throughout the body. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), a measure of cellular oxidative injury, are significantly decreased in lung tissue after using thyme oil.

Immunomodulatory: The use of inhaled corticosteroids is associated with lower levels of ACE2 in the sputum of asthmatic patients. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) helps modulate the many activities of a protein called angiotensin II (ANG II) that increases inflammation, causing damage to bronchial and blood vessel linings and other types of tissue injury. Thyme oil naturally interferes with ACE2 receptors offering similar benefits.²

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is native to Europe and the Middle East, but over the years it has spread throughout North America and has been used for health benefits for several thousand years. Peppermint was first formally recognized and scientifically classified in the mid-1700s in England, however, records from ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, mention that it was used for digestive disorders, migraines, to clean teeth, and for other conditions. Because of the value of this herb, ancient Egyptians used the leaves as a form of money, hence the term “minting” money. Both peppermint leaves and the essential oil from peppermint have been used for health purposes.

For asthma, peppermint oil exhibits both anti-inflammatory and bronchodilation (dilating or opening air passages) properties, and it has been shown in clinical trials to be beneficial for alleviating asthma. The menthol in mint is a carminative, relaxing the esophageal sphincter and easing esophageal spasms which can indirectly help asthma.^3,4

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an aromatic perennial evergreen native to the coastal dry, rocky areas of the Mediterranean. First mentioned on stone tablets in 5000 BCE, the fragrant herb had multiple uses among the ancient Greeks and Romans. A Greek botanist, Pedanius Dioscorides, considered the “father of pharmacognosy (drugs made from medicinal plants),” wrote about the use of rosemary in one of the most influential herbal books in history. Although rosemary is associated with remembrance, it has been used since the 13th century to resolve respiratory issues.

Rosemary contains several phytochemicals, including rosmarinic acid, camphor, caffeic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, carnosic acid, and carnosol. Rosemary essential oil contains 10 to 20% camphor. Rosemary oil extract relaxes the smooth muscles of the trachea and bronchial airways, opening air passages and resulting in more relaxed breathing.

A significant clinical trial showed that rosemary can reduce asthma symptoms in people who did not see improvement from traditional medical treatments. In this randomized, double-blind study of 44 subjects, every subject received the extract for a 1-month trial and was evaluated. Measurements of spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), and the Asthma Control Test (ACT) showed that cough, sputum production, and wheezing were significantly improved only in the subjects who received rosemary extract.⁵

Our patients’ experiences with peppermint-rosemary-thyme

Our patients with bronchial asthma generally receive rapid and ongoing relief from tight chest, wheezing, and sputum production, and enduring ease in breathing, after 3 to 6 or months of using a potent oral blend of peppermint, rosemary, and thyme plus the complementary addition of soothing oregano.

Recommendation: We look for capsules that are enteric-coated, meaning they do not open up until they have passed through the stomach into the small intestine, so that no strong flavor burps up. Often the capsules include glycerin and alginate from algae sea vegetable (seaweed). We look for doses of extracts of peppermint 100mg, thyme 100mg, with optional rosemary 100mg and oregano 200mg. We suggest 2 caps between meals, 1 to 2 times daily, taken between meals, or as directed by your healthcare provider.

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