Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary Fibrosis is a chronic lung disease where the tissue deep inside your lungs becomes thick, stiff, and scarred, making it hard to breathe and absorb oxygen

Symptoms:

• Shortness of breath, especially during physical activity or exercise
• Persistent dry cough that does not go away
• Fatigue and general tiredness
• Clubbing (widening and rounding of the tips of the fingers or toes)
• Unexplained weight loss

Diagnosis

Modern medicine uses CT scans, Lung function tests, and occasionally Lung biopsy.

Risk Factors:

• Environmental & Occupational Toxins: Long-term exposure to asbestos, silica dust, coal dust, hard metal dust, mold, or animal/bird droppings
• Medical Treatments: Radiation therapy to the chest; certain prescription drugs (such as Amiodarone)
• Autoimmune Diseases: Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or lupus
• Age and Genetics: most commonly affects middle-aged and older adults (typically over 50). A small percentage of cases run in families

Treatment in Modern Medicine

• Fibrinolytic medications such as nintedanib or pirfenidone to slow scarring
• Oxygen therapy to help maintain safe blood oxygen levels
• Pulmonary rehabilitation with exercises and breathing techniques
• Lung transplantation in severe cases

Traditional Medicine

As this is a modern diagnosis, Pulmonary Fibrosis has not been directly diagnosed or treated traditionally. However, according to syndrome, traditional treatment can still treat this condition.

Ayurveda views such conditions as a Vata-Kapha (Wind-Phlegm) disease. In the Western Tradition, it fits a syndrome of Melancholy, which shares a similarity to Wind-Phlegm/Damp disease. Likewise Chinese medicine will generally view it as Phlegm stagnation (with other associated pathologies).

Treatment involves medicines that strengthen the Lungs, while resolving Phlegm and moving the Blood. Strengthening the Lungs may help the Lung function or at least slow progression of the disease. Moving the Blood is of upmost importance both to resolve stagnation within the Lung tissue, as well as the fact that many stronger Blood moving medicines have proven fibrinolytic effects.

Key Factors:

• Chronic Inflammation is associated with development of Fibrosis. If there is Heat symptoms, medicines that clear Lung heat should be used.
• Stagnation of Phlegm can chronically allow obstinate stagnation which can develop into Fibrosis, especially with chronic inflammation.
• Moving the Blood: Many blood moving medicines have fibrinolytic effects and may help resolve Fibrosis.
• Lung deficiency must be treated, as generally any chronic condition of an organ involves some degree of deficiency. If there is Cold-Damp-Phlegm, warming medicines would be used; cases with dryness and signs of Yin deficiency require herbs to nourish Yin; marked weakness with low voice and difficult breathing require Lung Qi tonic medicines.

Saffron as a Potential useful medicine

Saffron has been traditionally used for chronic wheezing and breathlessness. Rather than being a traditional Lung tonic, it is a potent Blood-moving medicine. Research has shown in animal models that Saffron is effective against Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis, showing significantly less thickening of the alveolar walls, reduced collagen accumulation, and lower lung damage compared to untreated groups (see here).

Saffron’s primary carotenoid, crocin, has been shown to downregulate certain pathways responsible for building permanent scar tissue (see here). Another active component, crocetin, has shown the ability to reduce lung and skin fibrosis in mouse models mimicking scleroderma (an autoimmune diseases associated with causing pulmonary fibrosis) (see here),

Herbs with some degree of efficacy against Pulmonary Fibrosis

Many of these have research which can be viewed under their separate Monographs. Some are mentioned in research below.

See also

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Special Formulas

Research

–A systematic review of the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine against pulmonary fibrosis: from a pharmacological perspective.