Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Ligustilides are phthalide compounds found primarily in plants such as Ligusticum chuanxiong (Szechuan lovage) and Angelica sinensis (Dong quai), both of which are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The use of these plants for treating coughs, particularly "spastic" or spasmodic coughs, is documented in TCM texts, where they are believed to have properties that "move Qi" and alleviate pain and spasm. The traditional rationale is that these herbs can help relieve cough due to their supposed ability to relax smooth muscle and reduce inflammation. However, while ligustilide itself has shown some smooth muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory effects in laboratory studies, there is little direct scientific investigation linking ligustilide or its source herbs specifically to antitussive (cough-suppressing) effects in clinical settings. Most of the support comes from longstanding traditional use patterns rather than robust clinical trials. Thus, the use of ligustilides for "spastic cough" is primarily justified by historical and ethnomedical precedent, with only limited mechanistic support from preclinical research, and lacks substantial direct scientific validation.

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