Natural drugs in the treatment of dry cough

Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology Student: Daniela Vojtechovská Supervisor: doc. PharmDr. Jana Pourová Ph.D. Title of diploma thesis: Natural drugs in the treatment of dry cough. Cough is a natural protective reflex of the airways. It is one of the universal symptoms and one of the major reasons to see a general practitioner. The main causes of cough include inflammatory diseases of upper and lower airways of viral or bacterial origin. However, cough can arise as a consequence of more serious diseases. Antitussives used in conventional therapy of cough are reliable, but they have many restrictions and adverse effects. Phytotherapy, including the therapy of dry cough, is a current trend. Unlike conventional antitussives, using natural drugs in therapy has several advantages, such as treating the main cause of cough, better safety, fewer adverse effects (natural drugs lack central adverse effects). In addition, natural drugs do not induce drug dependence, have fewer drug interactions, the duration of their use is not so limited, and they are easily available. The aim of this Thesis was to summarize available information on the use of natural drugs in the therapy of dry cough, and to supply reliable pharmacological data which would support...