Effect of Plant Extract Used in Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine on Asthmatics and Their Role in Maintaining Gut Microbiota Diversity – A Narrative Review

Monalisa Das; Megha Pundeer; Ramesh Ponnusamy; Sanjib Patra

doi:10.61797/ijbic.v4i3.648

Monalisa Das Student, Department of Microbiology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Megha Pundeer Student, Department of Yoga, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Ramesh Ponnusamy Student, Department of Microbiology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Sanjib Patra Professor, Department of Yoga, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.61797/ijbic.v4i3.648

Keywords: Asthma, Ayurveda, Siddha, Gut microbiota

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to comprehend how medicinal plant extracts used in ayurveda and siddha affect the human gut microbiota in asthmatics. In this narrative review, the author attempted to summarize/incorporate the antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects of ayurveda and siddha medicinal plants and how they modulate probiotic microbial diversity and pathogenic asthmatic bacteria.

Data sources: The narrative review included all peer-reviewed papers published between 1985 and 2025. The authors did an in-depth search in four electronic databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase, for medicinal plants, asthma, gut microbiota and antimicrobial activity.

Review methods: The author assessed the titles and abstracts before obtaining probable eligible citations for full-text analysis. To fully comprehend the subjects and their connection to the given title, references to the included articles and articles from well-known non-indexed peer-reviewed journals were sought.

Conclusion: Plant extracts used in either system of medicine to treat asthma promote the growth of probiotic anti asthmatic bacteria, including Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcus, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia, Roseburia, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The plant extracts also exhibit antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic asthmatic bacteria like Clostridium, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Moraxella and Haemophilus. The beneficial gut bacteria population may increase by consuming plant extracts, as gut microbiome colonization improves the various metabolic functions of the host. The beneficial anti-asthmatic bacteria reduce the symptoms of asthma.