Natural products for chronic cough: Text mining the East Asian historical literature for future therapeutics

Chron Respir Dis. 2015 Aug;12(3):204-11. doi: 10.1177/1479972315583043. Epub 2015 Apr 21.

Abstract

Chronic cough is a significant health burden. Patients experience variable benefits from over the counter and prescribed products, but there is an unmet need to provide more effective treatments. Natural products have been used to treat cough and some plant compounds such as pseudoephedrine from ephedra and codeine from opium poppy have been developed into drugs. Text mining historical literature may offer new insight for future therapeutic development. We identified natural products used in the East Asian historical literature to treat chronic cough. Evaluation of the historical literature revealed 331 natural products used to treat chronic cough. Products included plants, minerals and animal substances. These natural products were found in 75 different books published between AD 363 and 1911. Of the 331 products, the 10 most frequently and continually used products were examined, taking into consideration findings from contemporary experimental studies. The natural products identified are promising and offer new directions in therapeutic development for treating chronic cough.

Keywords: Chronic cough; herbs; historical literature; natural products; plants; text mining.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biological Products*
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cough / drug therapy*
  • Data Mining* / methods
  • Drug Discovery / methods*
  • Encyclopedias as Topic
  • Humans
  • Medicine, East Asian Traditional*

Substances

  • Biological Products