Traditional Herbal Medicine for Allergic Conditions
Summary
Traditional herbal medicine has been employed across numerous cultures for the prevention and treatment of allergic disorders, notably allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis. Key systems, including traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and Kampo, deploy complex botanical formulae rich in polyphenols, alkaloids and terpenoids that exert anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Active constituents may stabilise mast cells, inhibit Th2-driven cytokine production and reduce immunoglobulin E levels, thereby attenuating the hypersensitivity cascade. Recent advances have elucidated molecular pathways by which herbal extracts influence dendritic cell-mediated antigen presentation and innate immune cell recruitment, while novel delivery platforms address issues of solubility and bioavailability. As interest in integrative care grows, standardisation of herbal preparations, rigorous clinical evaluation and mechanistic studies are essential to translate traditional wisdom into evidence-based practice, with global implications for reducing reliance on conventional pharmacotherapy and its associated side-effects.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Traditional Herbal Medicine for Allergic Conditions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in traditional herbal medicine for allergic conditions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Allergic rhinitis: An IgE-mediated inflammation of the nasal mucosa induced by exposure to airborne allergens, characterised by sneezing, itching, congestion and rhinorrhoea.
Bioavailability: The proportion of an administered herbal constituent that reaches the systemic circulation in an active form.
Nanocarrier: A nanoscale delivery vehicle designed to improve solubility, stability and targeted distribution of herbal extracts.
Th2 cells: A subset of T helper lymphocytes that secrete interleukins such as IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, driving allergic inflammation and IgE production.
References
- Exploiting the nanotechnological approaches for traditional Chinese medicine in childhood rhinitis: A review of future perspectives. Nanotechnology Reviews (2024).
- Potential effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine Yu ping feng san for adult allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2017).
- Treatment of Early Allergic and Late Inflammatory Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis with Petasites Hybridus Leaf Extract (Ze 339): Results of a Noninterventional Observational Study in Switzerland. Pharmaceuticals (2021).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.