TITLE:
CUF, a herbal formula for the treatment of asthma: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in the treatment of childhood asthma
AUTHORS:
Eliza L. Y. Wong, Rita Y. T. Sung, Ping-Chung Leung, King-Fai Cheng
KEYWORDS:
Asthma; Children; Herbal Formula; Lung Function; Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ)
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.10,
October
9,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Background: Complementary and alternative medicines are increasingly used for the treatment of asthma worldwide. A five-herb herbal formula (CUF) has been found to be effective and safe in an animal model of asthma and in a preliminary clinical study. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CUF in children suffering from asthma. Design: A randomized, double blind, and placebo-controlled, parallel study. Interventions: Subjects received CUF or placebo for 6 months. Efficacy variables included changes in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ), and steroidal consumption. Results: A total of 100 asthmatic children were enrolled and assigned to two treatment groups. The first group received CUF 6 capsules (3 g/day) and the second group received placebo. There was a statistically significant difference in mean spirometric indexes in CUF group at baseline and follow-up visits. In the CUF group, the activity domain showed significant improvement (p = 0.045). FEV% was significantly improved in the CUF group (p strated. It improved the pulmonary functions of the children, namely, FEV1 and FVC. However, further research on a larger scale is warranted.