Important Antihistaminic Plants and Their Potential Role in Health

Abstract

Allergy is a common disease that is rising worldwide, with the highest prevalence in industrialized countries. Allergy affects about 300 million people worldwide and it has been estimated that a further 100 million will be affected by 2025. For a long time, plants have been considered as a source of medicine. Current allergy therapy lacks satisfactory success due to the adverse effects of synthetic drugs, so patients need complementary and alternative medicines to treat their allergies. Ayurveda and other Indian literature report the use of plants in different human ailments. India has about 45 000 plant species and many of them are said to have medicinal effects. In the literature plants used for allergy have shown antiasthmatic, antihistaminic, and antiallergic activity. Many phytoconstituents have also proved their effectiveness. In this chapter, we discuss the efficacy of antihistaminic plants and their role in health.