If you suffer from asthma, you may want to swap your prescription medications for some powerful and effective Chinese herbs. Specifically, ASHMI asthma treatment. ASHMI stands for Anti-Asthma Herbal Medicine Intervention.
ASHMI is a three herb Chinese extract which has been effective in treating asthma symptoms
ASHMI is comprised of three Chinese herbal extracts: Lingzhi Mushroom (aka Reishi Mushroom), Kushen (aka Sophora Root), and Licorice Root (aka Gancao). ASHMI does not include Ma Huang, which is used globally as an asthma herbal remedy.
The original formulation of ASHMI was developed by Dr. Xiu-Min Li of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, in collaboration with Dr. Hugh Sampson, also from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, as a simplified version of a traditional Chinese herbal combination of 14 herbs known as MSSM-002. MSSM-002 was originally designed by Weifang Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.
My wife and I initially became interested in ASHMI after finding and reading a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (vol. 116, issue 3) and from an article I found on Medscape.com titled: “AAAAI 2009: Chinese Herbal Preparations Show Efficacy Against Asthma, Atopy.”
The published study chronicles the results of an experiment conducted by researchers from Weifang Asthma Hospital and Weifang School of Medicine in China, along with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The researchers reported that an oral combination of three Chinese herbs could be as effective as conventional asthma medicines — without the serious side effects!
The researchers were looking for an asthma treatment equally as effective as Corticosteroids, a common and conventional asthma treatment, minus the adverse side effects experienced by Corticosteroid users. Specifically, Corticosteroids have been shown to increase susceptibility to infection and slow growth rates in children.
91 patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma were admitted to the Weifang Asthma Hospital for a four week double-blind study. 45 of the asthma patients received 20mg of prednisone per day and placebo capsules resembling ASHMI. 46 of the asthma patients were given ASHMI along with placebo tablets resembling 20mg of prednisone.
ASHMI had a beneficial effect on both TH1 and TH2 cytokine levels and absolutely no adverse effects on adrenal function in the study participants
The results were remarkable. ASHMI had a beneficial effect on both TH1 and TH2 cytokine levels and absolutely no adverse effects on adrenal function in the study participants. Additionally, the ASHMI group experienced significantly less gastric discomfort and no weight gain.
The effect of prednisone on lung function was reported by the researchers to be “slightly, but significantly greater” than that of ASHMI. But, the prednisone group experienced both significant weight-gain and gastric discomfort.
The researchers were “pleased” with the trial results and concluded that their findings “…show that ASHMI is effective and well-tolerated in nonsteroid-dependent patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma.”
As a result of the study findings, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) announced the funding of three “Centers of Excellence” which will explore therapies used in traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and Chinese herbal mixtures.
One of the selected centers will be called the “Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy” located at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY and led by Xiu-Min Li, M.D. The researchers are responsible for investigating ASHMI as a therapy for allergic asthma. Studies of ASHMI will look at mechanisms of action in an animal model, characterize the herbs’ active components and investigate the formula’s use in human asthma patients.
[UPDATE]:
As a result of my research and specifically because of the study I mentioned above, I decided to try and buy ASHMI. The problem was, I couldn’t find it anywhere and believe me, I looked everywhere I could think of, for about a year.
I got frustrated pretty early on in my quest, so I went to my neighborhood “Vitamin Shoppe” (brick n mortar store), bought Lingzhi Mushroom and Licorice Root supplements and made my own “homemade” ASHMI. (Unfortunately, I have yet to find sophora root in supplement form, although I did find that I could buy it in bulk).
Anyway, my family and I began to take our homemade ASHMI supplements (along with Olive leaf extract and wild oregano) and have never looked back. We have had some pretty remarkable results and are very happy and thankful for Dr. Li and her continued research!
[UPDATE]:
I finally found it!
Based on the original ASHMI study, the “Allergy Research Group,” which markets products under the name “Nutricology,” sell an asthma treatment supplement called phytocort. Phytocort’s a proprietary blend of the Chinese herbs lingzhi mushroom, sophora root, and licorice root, found in Dr. Xiu-Min Li’s original ASHMI formulation described above, plus a fourth herb commonly known as noni (Morinda citrifolia), which wasn’t part of the original formulation. (Note: I’m pretty sure noni was added as an attempt to get around any patent disputes)
My wife and I have replaced our original homemade ASHMI with phytocort supplements! (Better late than never, I guess!) 
Where to buy ASHMI (phytocort):
- ASHMI (phytocort) on herbspro
- ASHMI (phytocort) on amazon
- ASHMI (phytocort) on drugstore.com
- ASHMI (phytocort) on ebay
[UPDATE 10/23/10]: Below is a recent email exchange between Heather (my wife) and one of our readers. I thought you might be interested in reading it:
I am mother of 5 year old with multiple food allergies and asthma. Always seeking ways to healing.
Thanks
xxxxxxxxxx
==========================================================
Hi xxxxxxxxxxx,
My name is Heather. I’m Cody’s wife. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you, but I work in retail and have a very “uneven” schedule. Cody asked me to respond to your email personally, after he read it.
I suffer from severe asthma. At the end of 2004, I spent 4 days in the hospital because of a very severe asthma attack. The doctors tried everything for me: oxygen, nebulizer treatments, everything. They slowly raised my “blood oxygen level” over the course of those four days, but I never reached above the “60′s.”
I was very thankful to have made it out of the hospital alive and breathing, but I (& Cody even more) was also determined to do some research to see if I could find something natural that could help me breathe better and keep me out of the hospital better than the medication I was taking.
At the time I had my severe attack, I was taking advair everyday. I also used my albuterol inhaler once or twice a day, everyday and was administering nebulizer treatments to myself several times a month.
Then everything really changed! Cody discovered ASHMI, but hadn’t yet discovered phytocort. He put together a “homemade” ASHMI with supplements he bought from vitamin stores. That’s when I started taking lingzhi mushroom extract, licorice root extract, olive leaf extract and wild oregano supplements.
Since I began the supplementation about 3 years ago, I have received very dramatic benefits and no side effects (as far as my doctor and I can tell). I have not had to take any Advair. I have only used my albuterol inhaler two or three times a year over the past three years (during the fall of each year). I can’t remember the last time I’ve had to administer a nebulizer treatment, but it’s definitely been over 2 years.
I still carry my albuterol with me everywhere I go, because I’m scared to death of not having it, if I ever needed it.
I take two capsules of Phytocort and one each of the olive leaf extract and wild oregano supplements, twice a day.
I’ve been taking the phytocort for almost a year. Before phytocort, I was taking my homemade ASHMI for about two years. I like taking the phytocort because the ingredients are already packaged into one supplement and it’s cheaper to buy one bottle of phytocort than putting ASHMI together myself. I honestly have not noticed a difference in my breathing between my homemade ASHMI and the phytocort supplements.
I tell everyone that asks me to NOT expect the same results I’ve experienced. I’ve lived long enough to know that individuals experience different results and side effects from taking the same supplements and medications. So, please DO NOT expect the same results that I have experienced.
I hope that my email has answered some of your questions (I’ve tried my best). I also hope that you continue to research progressive asthma treatments and that you find one or more that may work for your child.
Thanks for visiting our site and all my best.
~ Heather
Can ASHMI be purchased anywhere?
@ j
ASHMI can’t be purchased yet –> it’s still under patent review(Please see my November 29, 2009 comment below for an important update). But, my wife and I take “homemade” ASHMI using supplements we buy at vitamin stores. That is, we buy Lingzhi Mushroom and Licorice Root, which are readily available in supplement form and take them twice a day.I can tell you that our breathing is much better for it and our household asthma medication use has plummeted! (That has been strictly our experience and I am certainly not dispensing any medical advice here!)
I hope that helps and thanks for stopping by.
How much of what do you take?
@Sam
I take 600mg of Lingzhi Mushroom (Reishi Mushroom) and 450mg of Licorice Root, plus a few other herbs twice per day. My wife takes the Lingzhi Mushroom – Licorice Root combination, plus some additional herbs, at least twice per day.
Thanks for stopping by.
UPDATE
@J ==> Yes, ASHMI can be purchased, although the formulation is not called ASHMI. I found a product called phytocort, manufactured by a company called Allergy Research Group and marketed under the name Nutricology.
Phytocort is formulated with the original herbs found in ASHMI which are lingzhi mushroom, licorice root (gancao) and sophora root (kushen), plus a fourth ingredient called noni.
My wife and I have stopped taking our “home made” ASHMI and have begun taking phytocort. We have been purchasing it from herbspro.com because of the price, but we have also purchased it from amazon.com, drugstore.com and ebay.com, as well.
Thanks Cody! Great article, exactly what I’d been looking for. I’m going to look into using phytocort as you suggest. I have some family members which suffer from breathing problems. Can I pm you with questions, or should I stick to comments?
hello cody!
does “phytocort” really have similar effects to cortisone? is it not too expensive longterm taken in the doses recommended?
has anyone else other than Cody experience with it?
i am contemplating getting it too, but would really like to hear more before!
i would be happy for any kind of feedback!
all the best, noah:)
Hi Noah,
The only results I feel comfortable relaying to you are my family’s, I’m afraid you’ll need to ask a doctor (or certainly someone other than myself) to discuss cortisone vs. anything. My wife and I have experienced considerable breathing benefits from phytocort, and before that, a combination of lingzhi mushroom and licorice root supplements.
Both of us take the recommended dosage of two supplements of phytocort twice a day, plus olive leaf extract and wild oregano extract.
Before the herbal supplementation, my wife, who suffered from severe asthma issues was taking Advair once a day, using her albuterol inhaler once or twice a day and giving herself nebulizer treatments two or three times a month.
Since she began the new supplement regimen, no more advair, no more nebulizer treatments and only two or three uses of her albuterol inhaler per year (during the fall) over the past three years!
As far as monetary costs are concerned, I order four 120 count containers of phytocort every two months from herbspro.com, for the both of us. The price is approximately
$19 and some change$21.78 per 120 count container plus a total of $5.95 shipping, which comes out to be approximately$86 (I rounded up)$93. That’s roughly$21.50$23.27 per month for each of us or$0.72$0.78 (72 cents78 cents) per day. Much, much lower than the out of pocket cost of advair, albuterol and nebulizer packets.As far as emotional and physical costs are concerned, we would willingly pay much more to avoid getting the jitters and other side effects of constant albuterol and advair use!
Noah, please don’t misinterpret what I have written. I am certainly not trying to convince you of anything, and am certainly not suggesting you replace your medication with anything. I’m merely describing our recent experience with phytocort. I highly recommend you make an informed decision and DO NOT stop taking any of your prescribed medication.
In fact, my wife carries her albuterol inhaler everywhere she goes and plans on continuing to doing so.
I wrote this article because lingzhi mushrooms, licorice root and sophora root (along with olive leaf extract and oregano oil) are working for us and have helped us gain significant independence from powerful and expensive prescribed medications. They may not work for you, although I certainly hope they do.
Thank you for stopping by and for your frank questions.
Dear Cody,
thank you so much for your so thorough answer!!! i appreciate this extremely! wow! thank you!
yes, for being healthy one is ready to spend huge amounts, i agree, i only asked cause i am already spending over 300 euros on my health monthly and i just wanted to check it out more before trying it out. thank you heaps for your advice!
don’t worry, i wont stop taking anything else i am already taking! i am not planning to stop anything, will just try it as an additional fix!
thank you for taking the time! in answering me so honestly! this is extremely kind of you!!!!! i am really stunned for the effort you took!
all the very best!!!!
noah
No worries! My pleasure.
If you decide to give phytocort a try, please do come back to let us know how it went. I would love to hear about your experience with it.
Thanks again.
Cody
roger that!
noah
I have tried Phytocort, taking 2 capsules made me very hyper for a long time, good thing I didn’t take 3, I tried 1 capsule which was a little better, will 1 cap twice a day have enough effect on COPD ?
I am very sensitive to a lot of things and only weigh 98 lbs.
Thank you in advance for your reply
Margot
Margot,
If phytocort makes you hyper, it sounds to me like you should immediately stop taking it at any dosage amount. I subscribe to the “better safe than sorry” school.
I’m not a doctor or a health practitioner, either of which could answer your question better than I can. If you have a licensed health practitioner to talk with, I would pose them the same question. I suspect they would tell you to stop taking the Phytocort as well. No sense in creating new problems for yourself.
Sorry I can’t be of any further help. Good luck and I’m sorry Phytocort isn’t working out.
Kushen or sophora root can be neurotoxic to kids over a long period of time or high doeses.
@ Jan >> Thanks for dropping by and for your sobering comment. Can you point us to some articles of the research and studies upon which you base your statement. I’m sure we’d all find it a valuable read.
Cody
Jan, I understand the concern, I remember reading about some of the problems you mention. I was very glad to hear that the problems actually got somewhat fixed;
Asthma Herb that Actually Helped!
I suffer from severe asthma. Have been searching and searching for a natural replacement/alternative to the asthma medication serevent. I have been desperately wanting to lower my dependency to this very strong asthma medication. I believe I have finally found it. Phytocort is great. It took several bottles to get into my system enough that I’ve taken serevent only once a day!!!!!! I hope to be off of serevent completely in about 14 to 21 days.
Thanks Cody, for writing about it!!!!!!!!!!
Sandy Berman
Cody, thanks for all the great articles on using non-traditional treatment options. Do you do your own research?
Hello,
My 19 month old son was diagnosed “idopathic hypoxemia” about 7 months ago (which is just a fancy way of saying he has low blood oxygen levels and they do not know why). We have done everything short of a lung biopsy (which our dr advised waiting on it since it would be a “blind test” since there are no abnormalities or specific areas to actually pin point to extract for testing). He runs about 92-100 during the day and 87-95 when asleep. We have oxygen to administer. There are times where he is PERFECTLY OK (and sleeps with out oxygen, etc) and there are times where he is not. He is only “slightly” allergic to dairy and cat hair.
He responds very well to steroids; however, he is in the 15th % for height. He was slightly short before but has only grown 1″ in 7 months since starting the pulmicort steroid (inhaled). He likewise responds well to musinex. My doctor is not “opposed” to herbal treatments, but does NOT encourage or prescribe them. I found Phytocort after reading the Mt Sinai study online (and looked for a product that combined all the herbs together as well as investigated making my own). I found phytocort and gave 2 doses to my toddler (via dissolved in water and medicine dropper). It worked well!
However, after 2 doses, I read that sophora flower is a neurotoxin to children and have not given him anymore. I cannot find ANYTHING showing the actual dosage studied to show toxicity levels for children. I read that blood types govern the toxic response to each herb (it was a general statement, not a specific approach to Sophora, etc).
Ok, so my question is: does anyone give the product to their young children? If so, how much? I gave 1 pill in the morning and 1 pill in afternoon with good results. However, I am concerned about the neurotoxicity. I realize this is not a physician’s cite and am not looking for endorsement, but I am looking for experienced parents that have given this product to children, your outcome/experience and doses you use… Additionally, does anyone use the Mucolyxir (by same company) as alternative to musinex for children?
Hi Lisa –> Thanks for dropping by.
I am so sorry to hear about your son. Heather (my wife) and I do not have children with asthma, so I do not have any personal experiences to pass along.
I wish I had some solid info to give you in reference to the sophora dosage amounts. You are the second reader that has commented on it, and I feel like I “dropped the ball” on the subject because I did not do any additional research on sophora’s neurotoxicity to children. Because of your comment, I am going to try and dig some info up myself and should I come across anything that I feel might be of the slightest help, I will send it to you via your email. I’m certainly not the world’s best researcher, but I do OK and can maybe point you in a productive direction.
Regardless, please:
If anyone reading this can be of some help, please post what you know. I’m sure Lisa and her suffering child would appreciate any help at all.
I can only imagine how frustrating this is for you, Lisa! Hang in there!
~Cody
Lisa,
I have done some research into the toxicity levels of sophora flavescens. Although I haven’t found an answer to your specific questions, the below articles may help in your quest:
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/oxyupdate.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17598549
http://books.google.com/books?id=gC91F_SwVEUC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=sophora+toxicity&source=bl&ots=CKyP2BmGk0&sig=GOf-CsWgp_z0ug1sXJXEtDY9Z1k&hl=en&ei=8nRpTf_5LoSclgfV_Y3_AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&sqi=2&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=sophora%20toxicity&f=false
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jps.2600650309/abstract
http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20093134721.html
I hope you have come back to see these links and if you have, I hope they help!!
can you tell me how long it should take to see some improvement from the phytocort?
have taken 2 bottles and see no difference so far,
Hi Karen >> Thanks for dropping by.
I would guess two bottles is plenty. If you haven’t noticed any breathing benefits by now, it seems as though, unfortunately, Phytocort is probably not for you.
@Karen
I noticed immediate improvement after the 2nd day of taking the 3 capsules twice a day. My husband’s breathing got easier after a couple of days also.
Karen, try the homemade version Cody recommended & usedd himself. Tha t worked for me. I bought the lingzhi mushroom and licorice root supplements separately and took them at the same time twice a day. Works for me even today.
Please keep trying, there’s a natural supplement out there that will help you. Just dont stop looking!
Cody,
great blog!
I’m an Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist in Texas. I would recommend to anyone who is seeking help for asthma to see an Acupuncturist/Herbalist. Even if a person has the same western diagnosis such as “Asthma”, we treat each patient differently based on their signs and symptoms. Meaning, we wouldn’t necessarily prescribe the same herbs to each person just because they have asthma. We break it down more than that and treat the person before us, not the disease! Some people may have more phlegm, or less phlegm, or more heat, or less, etc. Some may have a harder time inhaling than exhaling or vice versa. All these are clues to the practitioner and both the acupuncture treatment and the herbal prescription will most likely vary.
Most acupuncturists have an herbal pharmacy with compounding abilities so that the formula for each patient is specifically geared to what’s going on to them! But it can’t hurt to bring in the information about ASHMI to your practitioner and discuss it with them!
Cheers,
~Shelly
Hi Shelly,
Thanks for the kind words. My wife and I have friends that swear by their Acupuncturist for quite a bit more than asthma. It is a fascinating and effective healing practice that I wish more people would take advantage of.
Thank you for dropping by as you have given me some inspiration to write an article about the use of acupuncture in the treatment and management of asthma.
just a word of caution, out of desparation I kept taking the phytocort 3 caps 3 times a day and gave myself a case of pancreatitis
my asthma was a direct result of taking antibiotics so I think I need to find the particular gut biota which was destroyed
I have been to 7 MD’s, tried acupuncture and homeopathy, several different probiotics, was told that the antibiotics might have caused a glutathione defficiency so have been taking NAS to no avail and am about at the end of my rope
have you read about the guy who infected himself with hookworms – he claims it cured him
Thanks Karen! I’m so sorry Phytocort did not work out for you. As you know from our private emails, Heather and I were certainly hopeful it would work out for you. It’s very frustrating.
As promised, I have done some research into other supplements that may be of some help for you. I have found two promising ones, that have quite a few positive reviews all over the ‘net. One is called “Dr. Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health” and the other is called “AsthmaClear.”
I have provided links below, in case you’d like to give them a try:
Dr. Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health on Amazon
Dr. Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health on House of Nutrition
AsthmaClear on Amazon
AsthmaClear on Herbpro
As is our rule, we will also be taking the above supplements to test their effectiveness managing asthma symptoms and will report our results publicly.
No, I haven’t read about the hookworms treatment yet, but hey, if it works for the guy, more power to him!
Thanks again for stopping by and I will keep a “look-out” for any additional info I think might be of some use to you.
Hi All,
Someone was kind enough to post the link to the “hookworm for asthma” website yesterday in these comments and I inadvertently deleted it. Sorry!!!!!!
Here it is below for anyone interested:
http://www.asthmahookworm.com/jt_archive/index.php
just wanted to let you know I have finally found some relief by taking N-Acetyl L-Cysteine
I believe it has to do with a glutathione defficiency
[Link Below Edited by Cody]
http:// www [dot] diagnose-me [dot] com/treat/T292370.html
That’s great news Karen! Your persistence certainly paid off. Thanks for the info on “NAC.”
Here is the: Cysteine link on Wikipedia
Below are a few links to help anyone that may be interested in trying it themselves. The amazon.com link provides the most choices:
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) on amazon.com
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) on herbspro.com
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) on mothernature.com
Hello there!
some time has passed but i have finally tried out Phytocort for my severe allergic asthma (plus rhinitis), but it has not helped me at all unfortunatley – at least not to a point where i would notice a benefit. i promised to come back and report after trying, so this is my experience. does not mean though that it can’t help others. just did not work for me,
all the best
noah
Hello there!
some time has passed but i have finally tried out Phytocort for my severe allergic asthma (plus rhinitis), but it has not helped me at all unfortunatley – at least not to a point where i would notice a benefit. i promised to come back and report after trying, so this is my experience. does not mean though that it can’t help others. just did not work for me,
what helps me (i also take the conventional asthma medicine like xolair, cortisone, montelukast etc) are the herbs “Radix Gentianae, Flos Primulae cum calycibus, Herba Rumicis acetosa, Flos Sambuci and Herba Verbenae”. They are contained in “Solvopret/Sinupret”, but i buy them separately as tea herbs in the pharmacy and put them into capsules. they work very well on the sinus and also in the lungs. this is my 5 cents.
all the best
noah
I am on medrol – 4mg, methotrexate – 20 mg, and also advair and flovent. I am believed to be either hypereosinophillic or churg-strauss. My question is would Ashmi benefit me by lowering my eosinophil count and would it be safe with the above medications mentioned?
Hi Noah,
It’s been a while!!! Nice to hear back from you.
I am terribly sorry to hear of your disappointing results. Seems like it’s been a mixed bag as far as peoples’ experiences. A majority of the commenters here have had positive results, but a few (like yourself) have not. I appreciate your willingness to discuss your results and hope you can find something soon.
We (my wife and I) have been exploring some alternative (to phytocort) herbal remedies that have been beneficial in tackling our allergy (hay fever – sinus) symptoms, in addition to the asthma issues. I will be posting our results in an upcoming article.
Again, thanks for dropping by.
Hi Brad,
Unfortunately, I am not a trained medical practitioner. You would be better served by asking your doctor/medical practitioner that same question.
It’s not that I don’t want to try and help, it’s just that I am not trained or licensed to do so.
Best of luck and I hope you can find an answer.
Thanks for dropping by.
Okay Cody I will have to take a naturopath avenue for advice as my respiroligist ” suggested” i try ASHMI with hopes of bringing down my eosinphil count. He told me though, use it at my own risk and that basically he doesn’t know if it will work. So I guess I may have to talk to someone with a bit more experience with this herb. I am in desperate need of lowering my eosinphil count and reducing prednisone.
Hi Brad,
I hear you loud and clear. It can be a very frustrating and frightening process (at least it has been for my wife and I). We started with “homemade” ASHMI, then found ready made phytocort. We are now experimenting with a different herbal combination to deal with some sinus issues, in addition to the asthma symptoms!
It’s been a “mixed bag” of results with general asthma sufferers’ phytocort usage, as comments above will attest to. The majority of the feedback I’ve gotten points to at least some relief of asthma symptoms with it’s (phytocort’s/ASHMI) usage, but several folks have commented above that results were negligible at best. We (my wife and I) had good results with phytocort in combination with olive leaf extract and wild oregano (along with 2 oz. of aloe juice at night before we go to bed), but we are constantly tweaking herbal combinations, as I’ve already mentioned.
Good luck in your quest and please do stop by to tell us about how you’re progressing. Thanks again for stopping by.
I have been looking for nature replacements for predsidone, and ran across this site. I was all excited when I saw ASHMI…….however after researching the herbs I find most are mushrooms. That kinda freaked me out, because in Feb 2011 they found a 3.5 mass in my right lung that showed to be candida. So I radically changed my diet, no sugar, soy, rye, wheat, mushrooms. My question is since part of this formula is mushroom based, would it cause the candida to reappear? As I surely couldnt afford that!
I supposedly have severe COPD,, and using inhalers, nebulizers and such, and when I get really bad and have bigger breathing problems I use presidone, so…..since you have has alot of experince with this product what would you recommend……Please I would love your help!!!
LindaM
Hi Linda,
Thanks for dropping by. Unfortunately, I am not a trained medical practitioner. You would be better served by asking your doctor/medical practitioner that same question to get a definitive answer.
That being said, I can tell you that ASHMI (Phytocort) is full of mushrooms (ie. Reishi/Lingzhi mushrooms), so if I were you, I would stay far away from it. I don’t know if it would cause the candida to reappear, but I would recommend that you be safe and not sorry!
There are certainly a great many options for you try. Below are links to two herbal combinations which may be effective options for you. But be sure to check the list of ingredients in each of them, to ensure that there aren’t any offending herbs or mushrooms included:
Dr. Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health on Amazon
Dr. Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health on House of Nutrition
AsthmaClear on Amazon
AsthmaClear on Herbpro
Good luck and I’m really sorry I couldn’t be of any more help!!
I’m trying to find an herbal combination that might help with sinus allergies. Is there any anecdotal evidence that ASHMI or Phytocort helps with sinus allergies? The one herbal product I’ve found that helps is Sinupret. It seems to be a pretty good decongestant, but it’s not an antihistamine, so it doesn’t address the itchy eyes and sneezing.
I’m a little concerned about the additional ingredient in Phytocort: Noni. Here’s what Dr. Weil says about it: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA64352
I may try your do-it-yourself approach to ASHMI. Did you ever find a good online source for all three ingredients (other than the Phytocort formula)?
Thanks,
Robert
Hi Robert,
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the link to the Dr. Weil article –>> very good info!
My wholehearted recommendations for the homemade ASHMI ingredients are herbspro.com and amazon.com. You will find everything you need on amazon.com, except for kushen/sophora root in supplement form. You will not find kushen/sophora root in any form on herbspro.
I did find a place I could order the sophora root in supplement form very recently, I just can’t remember off the top of my head where it was! I will continue to search and post my findings here.
As far as sinus allergy help, my wife has had great success with “Dr. Murray’s Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health” for her allergies. We have successfully ordered it from both amazon & herbspro. It is also available at houseofnutrition.com for only $14.97 (which is the best price I’ve seen yet!).
Unfortunately, I have not seen, read, nor heard of any evidence that phytocort has any effect (beneficial or otherwise) on allergies of any kind. Sorry I can’t be of any more help on that question!
Thanks again for stopping by and let us know how things work out, good or not so good. The info may help others.
hi Cody
thank you very much
i forgot to say, also butterbur helps me heaps with my allergic rhinits as well with my severe allergic asthma. it is strongly anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory. one needs to buy a standardized extract of butterbur that is free of pyrrolizidins, but it helps as well as an antihistamine without the sedating effect.
looking forward to your upcoming article!!!
all the best
and thank you!!
noah
What is your appraisal as to how closely Phytocort matches that which was tested by Dr. Li at Mt. Sinai medical center?
Hi Alan,
Thanks for dropping by.
There is one big difference. Noni is not part of Dr. Xiu-Min Li’s original formulation. What effect that has, I have no idea?
Otherwise, I believe the percentage of the rest of the ingredients are based on the original formulation. The other factor that comes into play is the purity of the ingredients and I would guess, the freshness of the ingredients. I have no idea how one would go about measuring such things, but I would guess they are important, nonetheless.
But, again, Phytocort is the closest match which I could find to the original.
Hope this helps??
Hi, do you have some info concerning ongoing clinical studies of ASHMI? When we can expect the publication of results? Do you know, whether ASHMI/Phytocort is safe for children?
Hi Vojtech,
Thanks for dropping by.
A great place to start is the search page of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Use ASHMI as your keyword and then hit the search button. You will have 3 full pages of search results to sift through, including clinical studies and published results.
As far as if the formulation is safe for children >>> see comments by Lisa on 1-3-2011 and my subsequent comments on 1-9-2011. I’m not a doctor or medical practitioner of any kind, so I think you’d be better off asking a medical/herbal professional that very same question (or at the very least, do some research on your own). Better safe than sorry when it comes to one’s kids!!!
Thanks again for dropping by.
I got asthma symptoms for the 1st time in my life along with my usualy springtime allergies, 2 years ago. I saw a allergy/pulmonologist MD (one of the best in my area of SLC, UT) and he told me this was the beginning of a long road where I’ll need stronger and stronger inhalers and other meds for asthma. That was unacceptable to me.
I ended up using Ashmi that allergy season along with an emergency inhaler as needed.
That season was the last time I needed the inhaler. I have been able to use ashmi now, just as any symptoms arise.
Also, no side effects were noted with the ashmi. Additionally, my seasonal allergy symptoms are about 10% of what they used to be, but I’m not sure that’s due to the ashmi.
The stuff does taste terrrible though. Small price to pay…
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your very positive results! Ashmi was certainly a life changer for my wife and I and I’m very glad to hear it has helped you as well. In my book, any herbs or herbal combinations that help decrease our dependency on pharmaceuticals are essential.
I agree with you that the ashmi is probably not helping all that much with your allergy symptoms. We use a product called “Lung, Bronchial & Sinus Health” by a company called “Natural Factors,” along with “Phytocort,” during the height of our allergy season >> with excellent results.
Thanks again and continued good health.
Hi, I’m in the UK so had to order PhytoCort from Amazon and get it shipped over to the UK. It recommends taking 3 capsules three times daily and then reducing to 2 capsules twice daily. After taking my first 3 capsules about an hour ago I now have crazy black and white zigzag lights in the middle of my eyes! Has anyone else experienced this?
Hi Mark,
I certainly hope not!!! That sounds terrible! I would certainly lay off taking any more unless you were sure phytocort wasn’t the cause.
Thanks for letting everyone know about it and please stop by to bring us up to date.
Thanks and good luck.
Hi,
I suffer from swollen eyelids. In a nutshell, when I was put on Prednisone the swelling decreased dramatically but returned when I went off. And, of course, I did not want to stay on that for too long since it made me gain so much weight in less than half a year.
I know that you said this worked for your wife and her breathing but did it do anything for swelling by chance? Like, did it coincide with the results she had with Prednisone [if she took Prednisone...]
I’m just looking for an alternative to Prednisone is all. And, I know you aren’t a doctor and whatnot. I’m just fishing for information. Thanks.
Hi Kells,
Thanks for dropping by. You’re exactly right, I’m not a doctor, so I’m definitely not the one to ask these questions to.
Unfortunately, we have no personal experience whatsoever with Prednisone. Sorry.
Also, unfortunately, I have no idea about decreases in swelling or anything like that from the use of ASHMI or phytocort. Sorry again.
Good luck on your research and I hope you’re successful.
I’ve been consulting a doctor for a couple years now. It’s cool.
Thanks!