Plantago major has been used widely since ancient times, to manage a wide range of diseases including constipation, coughs and wounds. The aim of this study is to review the traditional application, botanical characterization, pharmacological activities, phytochemistry effects and toxicity of Plantago major. In this review study, medicinal properties of Plantago major are collected from credible pharmacopeias, textbooks of traditional Persian medicine (TPM) belonging to the 10–18th century AD, such as “The Canon of Medicine”, “Makhzan-Al- Advia” and so on. Moreover, electronic databases including Scopus, Medline and Web of science were explored for this purpose. Plantago major has been prescribed in various forms such as roasted seeds, decoction, syrup, liniment, gargle, rectal enema, vaginal suppository, eye and nasal drop for each illness by TPM scholars. Some of its traditional properties including wound healing, antipyretic, antitussive, anti-infective, anti-hemorrhagic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative, astringent and hemostatic have been confirmed in recent researches. Phytochemical investigations showed that Plantago major contains volatile compounds, triterpenoids, phenolic acids and flavonoids. Modern pharmacological studies have proven some of the traditional applications of Plantago major. Nevertheless, more investigations are required on this plant, because it has the potential to be used to produce various natural medications.

Asthma is a common respiratory disease characterized by airway inflammation, airway hyperreactivity, and reversible airflow obstruction. Despite current treatments, the prevalence of asthma has increased markedly over decades. According to the theories proposed to explain the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases in integrative medicine, leaky gut syndrome is a phenomenon of increased intestinal permeability due to the disruption of tight junctions and is thought to be related to many chronic diseases, such as food intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and other autoimmune disease. One of the classical approaches used by integrative physicians to treat leaky gut syndrome is to repair intestinal permeability to prevent allergic cascade. Due to several mechanisms that have been mentioned in the protective effects of plant gums and plantain family seeds on the intestinal epithelium, we can propose an effective management for leaky gut syndrome to treat asthma.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is responsible for an increasing number of deaths worldwide. Smoking is the most reliable predictor for developing COPD later in life. However, women make up the majority of patients with COPD who have never smoked. There is therefore a need to identify other factors that can predict COPD in women. The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with increasing the risk of developing COPD later in life in women who have never smoked.Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) cohort born between 1946 and 1951 were used to investigate potential predictors of COPD. Retrospective analyses were performed on data from two of the ALSWH surveys: wave 1 (1996) and wave 9 (2019).There were 3584 women who self-reported as being never-smokers (at waves 1 and 9) and did not have COPD at baseline, of which 109 had developed COPD at wave 9. Logistic regression showed a significant relationship between COPD at wave 9 and baseline breathing difficulties (p<0.001), asthma (p<0.001), and allergies (p=0.026), though significance of asthma and allergies disappeared when included together in a single model, implying that women with these symptoms earlier in life were more likely to be diagnosed with COPD later in life compared to women without these symptoms.Our study supports the inclusion of lung function testing in primary care settings for women over the age of 45 years who have never smoked and have a history of breathing difficulties, asthma, or allergies.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease with evidence to show that its incidence and prevalence are increasing. Medicinal plants are commonly used to treat CRS. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of herbal preparations for treatment of the patients with CRS. Cochran, Embase, ISI, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched until August 1, 2016. Only randomized controlled trials were included. Four randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review. Various medicinal plants were studied in each article. Inclusion and exclusion criteria, and outcome measures varied among different articles. The results of this trials showed that this special medicinal plants may be effective in the treatment of CRS. No serious reactions were reported during the administration of herbal remedies in the 4 studies. However, trials with a well-designed approach are needed to study the actual safety and efficacy of herbs in the treatment of CRS.