The present paper describes scientific evaluation of a traditional herbal medicine for relief in cough and asthma. The formulation had been used by a practitioner of traditional medicine from Jalandhar (Punjab, India) over a period of time and found to be quite efficacious in providing relief in cough and asthma. The same comprises a powdered mixture of five herbs viz. Acorus calamus (rhizome), Alpinia galanga (rhizome), Psoralea corylifolia (fruit), Piper longum (fruit) and Piper nigrum (fruit) in equal proportions. This polyherbal mixture showed antibacterial activity against Gram- positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger. Analytical studies revealed absence of any externally added steroidal content in the formulation. To ensure adequate quality control of the formulation, HPLC fingerprints of different extracts prepared from this polyherbal mixture were generated and two major constituents, i.e. piperine and asarone were quantified by HPLC.
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