Clinical Effects of Herbal Medicine in Treatment of Cough Among Parents of Senior High

School Students of St. Catherine of Siena Academy

A. What are we looking at: The clinical effects of using Herbal Medicine as a treatment to
cough among parents of SHS students of SCSA
B. Who are the subjects: Parents of SHS students of SCSA
C. It is going to be a Qualitative research and we know which will be used Case Study
D. We will just be using a Small Sample
E. Data collection will involve obtaining information from the participants through Survey
Questionnaire.
Purpose:
The purpose of this research is to know the Clinical Effects of using Herbal Medicine as a
treatment of cough and it health effect.
Related Studies
Herbal medicine is one of the main modalities in traditional as well as complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) and is increasingly acknowledged due to the extensive
use of herbal remedies amongst the general population in developed and developing
countries worldwide [1, 2]. The use of herbs for treatment of respiratory ailments has
been common in the Middle East for thousands of years [3]. During the last three
decades, several ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in Israel and the Palestinian
Authority which elucidated the use of 25 different herbs for the treatment of respiratory
conditions [4, 5].
In vitro and clinical studies suggest the therapeutic potential of aromatic herbs in
treatment of respiratory ailments. Aromatic herbs possess broad-spectrum
pharmacological properties and are used as traditional remedies as well as culinary
herbs. Mentha piperita (peppermint) contains menthol and exhibits antibacterial and
antiviral properties [6] as well as an antitussive effect (in a study of guinea pigs)
[7]. Origanum syriacum contains the active ingredients of thymol and carvacrol and
possesses antimicrobial [8] and antifungal [9] properties. Boskabady and Jandaghi
studied carvacrol in guinea pigs and found a bronchodilator effect [10]. A relaxant effect
on tracheal smooth muscle was also demonstrated in rabbits and guinea pigs exposed to
volatile oil of Rosmarinus officinalis (which contains camphor and cineol) [11]. Lu et al.
found that Eucalyptus globulus oil (of which cineole is the major active ingredient) has
an anti-inflammatory effect on chronic bronchitis induced by lipopolysaccharide in rats
and inhibits the hypersecretion of airway mucins [12]. Kaspar et al. studied secretolytic
changes of ciliary frequency and lung function in patients with obstructive lung disease
and found beneficial effects of cineol [13]. Silva et al. found that both Eucalyptus
globulus and Eucalyptus citriodora (containing citronellal) have central and peripheral
analgesic effects as well as neutrophil-dependent and neutrophil-independent anti-
inflammatory properties [14]. Cohen and Dressler conducted a clinical trial with patients
suffering from acute runny nose who reported improved breathing following treatment
with a volatile oil mixture of eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor [15]. In Germany, Kehrl
et al. conducted a randomized controlled double-blind study in patients with acute
nonpurulent rhinosinusitis and found that timely treatment with cineole is effective in
reducing rhinosinusitis symptoms and is safe before antibiotics are indicated [16].
Clinical Effects of Herbal Medicine in Treatment of Cough
Among Parents of Senior High School Students of
St. Catherine of Siena Academy
A Case Study
 Chapter 1-Introduction

The Problem and Its Background

Many people from all over the world had been using herbal plants in treating

different kinds of illness and diseases. The ancient civilizations were known to have

relied on the power of herbal medicines, and even the modern world has adopted some of

their practices and herbal concoctions in utilizing this alternative medicine. One sub-

specialty of medicine is herbal medicine which is also know as herbalism,

phytomedicine, botanical medicine, and herbology. Herbal medicine refers to the use of

any plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers for medicinal purposes.

In the Philippines where herbal plants species can be found around, it is common

for the Filipinos to use them in treating illnesses and diseases. Because of poverty in the

Philippines many people couldn’t afford to buy pharmaceutical drugs prescribed by

doctors so they tried herbal medicines to cure their illness and diseases. They take it even

though it is not prescribed by doctors because it is the only medicine that they can afford.

Being a parent is a major role. They are the one who provides the needs of their

children so they need to have a strong and a healthy body for them to work well to have

enough money. Health is a must for the parents because their body is the key for them to

support their family financially. Since traditional medicines are high cost and have

different side effects, many parents used to take herbal medicines in treating their

illnesses and diseases.

 Cough is one of the most common illnesses that we are experiencing since then.

Coughs are more likely to happen when a person is sick, because infections often irritate

breathing passages. It takes weeks or a month after the initial infection has died down.

Our ancestors use herbal medicines to treat it because it is available everywhere and they

believed that it is effective. It is less expensive and affordable compare to the commercial

one. Herbal medicines are less harmful because it has lesser side effects than medicine.

In a research review published in Evidence-Based Complementary and

Alternative Medicine in 2011, researchers analyzed previously published studies

assessing the effectiveness of ivy leaf for acute upper respiratory tract infections. The

three of the studies evaluated a combination of ivy and thyme.

In their conclusion, the authors state that all studies found that ivy extracts are

effective at reducing the symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection ,including the

frequency and duration of a cough, but that further evidence is needed because most

studies were significantly flawed.

WHO's policy on herbal medicines acknowledges their important role for the

health of a large number of people. For particular cultural and socioeconomic groups,

they form a significant part of their health services. WHO promotes the safe and effective

use of herbal medicines and encourages their integration, wherever possible, into the

delivery of mainstream health care services

 Statement of the Problem

This study’s objective is to determine the clinical effects of alternative medicines

in treating cough among parents of senior high school students of SCSA. The research

will also answer this following questions:

1. What are the profile of the parents in terms of:

1.1 age;

1.2 socioeconomic status;

1.3 occupational;

1.4 civil status;

1.5 employment status;

1.6 parents educational background;

2. What are the clinical effects of using alternative medicines as a treatment of

cough?

3. What are the effects of using alternative medicines to our body?

4. How do using herbal medicines as a treatment of cough affect the income of

the parents?

Scope and Delimitations

This study focuses only to the efficiency of Herbal Medicines as a treatment to

cough. This also focuses on the availability of the product to people. To successfully

address the research problem, data gathering focused on the information that answered

the objectives of the study as follows: the clinical effects of alternative medicines as a

treatment of cough among parents of senior high school students in SCSA. The scope of
the conclusions and recommendations of this study were limited upon the objectives of

the study.

Significance of the Study

Despite advancements in technologies and coming of the modern era, poverty is still one of the

problems we are facing today. Because of that a lot of people still doesn’t support their

basic necessities, it has been difficult to prioritize one of the necessities in life such as

health care. Alternative medicines addresses not only the need for access to medicine as a

component of health services but also to the need for increased income for farmers and

as a significant contribution to the national economy.

The result of the study helps to identify the herbal medicines used in treatment of

cough which also provides information regarding plants used in medical purpose. It will

help other researchers as guide line or reference to conduct their activity effectively in

investigating the clinical effects of herbal medicines in a treating illnesses. The result of

this research will also benefit the society by having enough knowledge about herbal

medicines and how it affects our body.