Fact check: Can Guinea Hen Weed cure Asthma?

Claim:

An Instagram reel suggests that the Guinea hen weed plant leaves can cure asthma. It advises boiling the leaves in water for 1-2 minutes and consuming the resulting water. The link to the reel is here.

Fact Check :

The claim is False.

Understanding Asthma:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Asthma is a major non-communicable disease (NCD), affecting both children and adults and is the most common chronic disease among children." Asthma is a chronic lung disease affecting people of all ages. It is caused by inflammation and muscle tightening around the airways, making breathing harder. Symptoms can include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. These symptoms can be mild or severe and can come and go over time. Inflammation and narrowing of the small airways in the lungs cause asthma symptoms, which can be any combination of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath and chest tightness. (1)

Prevalence of Asthma:

Asthma affected an estimated 262 million people in 2019 (2) and caused 455,000 deaths worldwide. It has been estimated that the prevalence of asthma in India is about 3% (30 million patients), with a prevalence of 2.4% in adults aged >15 years 7 and between 4% and 20% in children. (3)

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli explained various causes of asthma: "Asthma is a complex respiratory condition influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Some of the primary causes that trigger asthma include Family history. Certain allergic conditions, such as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or allergic rhinitis (hay fever), are linked to people who get asthma. Other risk factors include viral respiratory infection, exposures to certain elements in the workplace, and smoking."

What is Guinea Hen Weed?

Petiveria alliacea L.(P. alliacea), also known as Guinea Hen Weed, is a perennial shrub indigenous to the Amazon Rainforest. Compounds isolated and reported for Petiveria alliacea include flavonoids as astilbin, myricitrin, and engeletin, triterpenes as barbinervic acid, α-friedelinol, steroids as daucosterol, lipids as lignoceric acid, nonadecanoic acid, oleic acid, compounds as allantoin, coumarin. (4)

Can Guinea hen weed cure Asthma?

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) clearly mentions that asthma can't be cured but can be controlled with proper treatment. (5)

With regards to the claim, while some studies show Guinea Hen Weed's effect on asthma in animal models, there is no scientific evidence that it can cure asthma in humans.

A study conducted by Rosa et al. demonstrated that Petiveria alliacea (PM) administration could reduce airway inflammation, modulate cytokines and chemokines, and improve pulmonary conditions in an allergic mouse model of asthma. (6)

Similarly, Gutierrez and Flores reported that  P. alliaceae can inhibit airway inflammation and regulate chemokines and cytokines, improving lung conditions in the asthma model. (7)

Responding to if Guinea Hen Weed can cure asthma, Dr Mrigakshi Aggarwal, Pulmonologist at Sanjeevan Hospital, Delhi, explained, " I must clarify that Guinea Hen Weed, or Petiveria alliacea, cannot cure asthma. Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition, and currently, there is no cure for it, but it can be effectively managed with proper medical treatment and lifestyle adjustments. While Guinea Hen Weed has been used in traditional medicine and may have anti-inflammatory properties, no scientific evidence supports its use as a cure for asthma. While some natural remedies like Guinea Hen Weed may potentially help alleviate inflammation, they should not be seen as replacements for conventional asthma treatments prescribed by healthcare professionals. Along with medications, managing triggers such as allergens, cold air, physical activity, and respiratory infections is crucial in controlling asthma episodes."

While some preliminary evidence suggests that Guinea Hen Weed has anti-inflammatory properties, limited scientific research directly links it to the treatment or cure of asthma. Most studies have focused on its general anti-inflammatory effects rather than its specific action against asthma. There are no human studies available.

Medical dialogues Final Intake:

No asthma can’t be cured. Some preliminary evidence suggests that Guinea Hen Weed has anti-inflammatory properties but lacks scientific evidence of curing asthma. Hence, the claim that Guinea hen weed cures Asthma is FALSE.

References:

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma.

2. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020;396(10258):1204-22.

3. Agrawal S, Pearce N, Ebrahim S. Prevalence and risk factors for self-reported asthma in an adult Indian population: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2013 Feb;17(2):275-82. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.12.0438. PMID: 23317966; PMCID: PMC4284294.

4. Urueña C, Cifuentes C, Castañeda D, Arango A, Kaur P, Asea A, Fiorentino S. Petiveria alliacea extracts uses multiple mechanisms to inhibit growth of human and mouse tumoral cells. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2008 Nov 18;8:60. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-8-60. PMID: 19017389; PMCID: PMC2613870.

5. https://aafa.org/asthma/asthma-treatment/

6. Rosa MPG, Jose MMF. Petiveria alliacea Suppresses Airway Inflammation and Allergen-Specific Th2 Responses in Ovalbumin-Sensitized Murine Model of Asthma. Chin J Integr Med. 2018 Dec;24(12):912-919. doi: 10.1007/s11655-018-2566-5. Epub 2018 Oct 19. PMID: 30341485.

7. Gutierrez, R.M.P.; Flores, J.M.M. Petiveria alliacea Suppresses Airway Inflammation and Allergen-Specific Th2 Responses in Ovalbumin-Sensitized Murine Model of Asthma. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 2018, 24, 912–919.