Faculty of Health Sciences and Tropical Medicine, Department of Nursing, Somali National University, Galmudug Branch, Abudwak, Somalia

^*Corresponding author: Hassan Ahmed Dirie, Faculty of Health Sciences and Tropical Medicine, Department of Nursing, Somali National University, Galmudug Branch, Abudwak, Somalia, Phone: +252615175302, Email: [email protected], ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3121-1324

Received Date: September 14, 2026

Published Date: October 05, 2026

Citation: Dirie HA. (2026). Utilization and Determinants of Traditional Medicine for the Management of Asthma-Related Cough among Patients in Somalia: A Systematic Review. Traditional Medicine. 7(2):40.

Copyright: Dirie HA. © (2026).

ABSTRACT

Background: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease affecting children and adults, and cough may be a prominent symptom or the principal manifestation of cough-variant asthma. Traditional, complementary and herbal practices are used in many communities alongside biomedical care. Somalia has a longstanding tradition of community-based and culturally embedded healing, but evidence specifically addressing traditional medicine for asthma-related cough remains limited.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to synthesize recent evidence on the utilization, determinants, commonly reported traditional and herbal approaches, perceived benefits, and safety considerations related to traditional medicine for asthma and asthma-related cough, with a specific focus on the evidence gap and implications for Somalia.

Methods: A structured evidence-synthesis approach was used, prioritizing literature published from 2021 through 2025 and focusing on asthma, asthma-related cough, traditional medicine, herbal medicine, complementary/alternative medicine, utilization and determinants.

Results: International evidence indicates substantial use of complementary and traditional approaches among people with asthma. A US analysis of 76,802 adults found that 45.2% had ever used complementary and alternative medicine, with associations involving younger age, female sex, cost barriers, comorbidity and poorly controlled asthma. A 2023 systematic review/meta-analysis of herbal add-on therapy identified 23 eligible studies and found an improvement in predicted FEV1 among nine trials included in the meta-analysis. A 2021 meta-analysis of four randomized trials reported improved Asthma Control Test scores and FEV1 with Nigella sativa supplementation. Recent Somali evidence demonstrates a continuing asthma burden: a 2025 study in Burao, Somaliland, included 363 adults and found 57.6% had uncontrolled asthma. However, the reviewed evidence did not provide a robust population-based percentage for traditional medicine use specifically for asthma-related cough in Somalia.

Conclusion: Traditional medicine remains relevant to health-seeking behavior in Somalia, but current evidence is insufficient to quantify its use for asthma-related cough or to establish the safety and effectiveness of locally prepared remedies. Some standardized herbal interventions show potential adjunctive benefits, but findings are heterogeneous and should not be interpreted as evidence to replace established asthma treatment. Somali research should prioritize direct measurement of utilization, determinants, preparation methods, interactions, adverse effects, disclosure to healthcare providers and effects on treatment-seeking.

Keywords: Asthma-Related Cough, Cough-Variant Asthma, Traditional Medicine, Herbal Medicine, Complementary Medicine, Nigella sativa