Therapeutic Effects of Thai Herbal Nasal Steam Inhalation Therapy for the Treatment of Persistent Allergic Rhinitis

Traditional Thai herbal therapy has historically been used for management of allergic rhinitis. However, there was limited evidence of Thai herbal formulation in allergic rhinitis. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Thai herbal formulation for treating allergic rhinitis. A pre-post study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of Thai herbal formulation in treating allergic rhinitis. The patients had herbal steam inhalation treatment for twenty minutes, twice weekly (10 minutes each session, 2 sessions, with a 10-minute interval between sessions) for a duration of two months. Thirty participants completed the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) and the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (Rcq-36). The average age was 20.5 ± 0.63 years, with congestion being the most common clinical complaint at 90%, followed by itching at 80%, discharge at 73.33%, sneezing at 53.33%, and dyspnea at 20%. Following two months of therapy, TNSS and Rcq-36 scores exhibited statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) in response to the herbal formulation therapy, compared to the baseline. The findings indicated that the Thai herbal formulation was significantly advantageous in alleviating overall nasal symptoms and enhancing the quality of life related to rhinoconjunctivitis in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis.