Summary

• Lobelia is a traditional respiratory remedy for asthma, chronic bronchitis, non-productive cough, croup and pleurisy.
• Its alkaloids work in a paradoxical way, one relaxes airway smooth muscle whilst another stimulates the respiratory drive before relaxing, together easing wheeze/tightness and helping clear stuck mucus.
• Lobelia is potent and a UK-restricted herb which requires practitioner prescription and supervision.

Lobelia (Lobelia inflata), also known as Indian tobacco, asthma weed or pukeweed, is a herb long valued for its effectiveness on the lungs^1,2.

A traditional respiratory remedy

Generations of Native American peoples have smoked lobelia (hence the name ‘Indian tobacco’), a practice adopted by nineteenth-century US Eclectic physicians as a lung, heart and musculoskeletal antispasmodic^4,5. Herbalists continue to work with it due to its effectiveness in treating asthma, chronic bronchitis with stubborn mucus, non-productive cough, croup and pleurisy^3,6.

Easing the breath

Lobelia’s alkaloids act in a fascinating, seemingly paradoxical way. Isolobelanine relaxes the smooth muscle of the airways, easing tight, spasming bronchioles, while lobeline first stimulates the central nervous system and respiratory drive before a relaxing phase^7,8. Together these actions can ease the wheeze and tightness of an asthma attack while helping shift stuck mucus^3,8.

Lobeline also binds to the same nerve receptors as nicotine, acting as both agonist and antagonist and damping nicotine-driven dopamine release hence the reason lobelia has been used to support the stopping of tobacco smoking^4,9.

Working together

Lobelia combines well with other lung- and throat-soothing herbs¹⁰, such as cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) to ease muscular spasm¹¹, chili (Capsicum spp) to enhance its diffusive action¹², and prickly ash (Zanthoxylum spp.) for its effect on the respiratory mucosa⁸.

Demanding respect

Because of its potency, lobelia is a restricted herb in the UK, available only through a qualified practitioner^2,13. It should be avoided in pregnancy, heart disease and alongside certain medications, and higher doses can bring on nausea or vomiting (hence the name ‘pukeweed’)². Used with consideration, though, lobelia remains one of the most effective botanical tools for supporting breathing.

References

1. Bartram T. Bartram’s encyclopedia of herbal medicine. London: Robinson; 1998.
2. Brinker F. Herbal contraindications and drug interactions plus herbal adjuncts with medicines. 4th ed. Sandy (OR): Eclectic Medical Publications; 2010.
3. Bone K, Mills S. Principles and practice of phytotherapy. 2nd ed. St Louis (MO): Elsevier Health Sciences; 2013.
4. Fisher C. Materia medica of western herbs. London: Aeon Books; 2018.
5. Winston D. Simple herbal extracts – lobelia [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2026 Sep 26]. Available from: https://www.davidwinston.org/extracts/lobelia.html
6. Menzies-Trull C. Herbal medicine keys to physiomedicalism including pharmacopoeia. 3rd ed. Faculty of Physiomedical Herbal Medicine; 2022.
7. Hoffmann D. Medical herbalism. Rochester (VT): Healing Arts Press; 2003.
8. Wood M. The book of herbal wisdom: using plants as medicines. Berkeley (CA): North Atlantic Books; 1997.
9. Dwoskin LP, Crooks PA. A novel mechanism of action and potential use for lobeline as a treatment for psychostimulant abuse. Biochem Pharmacol. 2002;63(2):89-98. doi:10.1016/s0006-2952(01)00899-1
10. Stansbury J, Saunders PR, Zampieron ER. The use of lobelia in the treatment of asthma and respiratory illness. J Restor Med. 2013;2(1):94-100. doi:10.14200/jrm.2013.2.0109
11. Mills S. Waxing lyrical about lobelia and ephedra [conference session]. CPP Phytotherapy Using Schedule 20 Part 2 and Restricted Herbs; 2023 Nov 11; London, United Kingdom.
12. Chevallier A. Encyclopedia of herbal medicine. London: Dorling Kindersley; 2016.
13. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2026 Sep 26]. Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1916/contents

Image: Lobelia inflata. Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons