Update in early April 2026
Some of the information in this post from 2025 can already be seen as out of date. There is no replacement for a good doctor or health expert, so listen to what they say and remember that none of these are to replace mainstream medicines and advice! More recently it seems that Black seed oil, Reishi, curcumin and most others were still described as effective and generally safe, while caution is advised if using essential oils. Essential oils can be inhaled directly making them potentially effective exactly where needed but in this way they can also cause flare ups. My advice is to use essential oils as a last resort and even then do so carefully. To begin with you could apply a tiny amount with a carrier oil to your hand and see how it makes you feel or add a bit on a tissue and place it near you before you try using on your skin. Once you know you can tolerate it well, only then use it occasionally if need be. Personally I use a tiny amount of eucalyptus oil as a chest rub but only if feeling bunged up.

The goal: identify some of the safest and most effective broad spectrum treatments that help respiratory health across various conditions in order to help anyone who has breathing issues but isn’t sure what the cause of the problem is. In other words, to show what can help people feel better and get better no matter the respiratory issue and put the treatment list into an easy to remember form.

The result:

GREEN CAB

This simple acrostic sentence shows the broad spectrum treatments that gained the very highest average ratings in this research:

Ginger & Garlic (raw pieces),
Reishi Mushroom, 
Eucalyptus
Essential oil on chest,
NAC supplements

Curcumin tablets
And
Black Seed Oil (oral) & Broccoli extract (sulfurophane tablets)

Here is a more complete list of the high scoring treatments:

BEING GOOD N CLEAR

Black seed oil (oral) & Broccoli sprouts (or sulfurophane tablets)
Eucalyptus oil (chest rub or inhalation with steam)
Inhalation of salt & steam
NAC supplements & Nasal wash
Ginger (raw pieces)

Garlic (raw pieces)
Oil of oregano (on chest with carrier oil)
Oil of Thyme (on chest with carrier oil)
D vitamin

Nettle tea

Curcumin tablets
Lemon juice & Licorice
Echinacea tablets
Astragalus (Huangqi)
Reishi mushroom (traditionally prepared decoction – steeped in boiling water)

Notes: Different breathing issues often require different treatments. For example, allergies may require allergen avoidance, reducing inflammation and balancing the immune system while an infection may require antibiotics or antivirals. Sometimes using the wrong treatment is not just useless but actually harmful. There is no replacement for a true expert, so usually it’s best to speak with a qualified and experienced healthcare professional and follow their instructions.

But what if you don’t have access to expert advice or are still not sure what is causing a breathing issue? If so, then this is here to help you make educated choices to aid recovery. This is also to help you maintain good respiratory health in general.

The method: as an amateur (but obsessive) health enthusiast, over some years, and after much consultation with a top health expert, I formed a list of promising herbs and treatments. After much research they were then numerically rated for effectiveness and safety by myself and chat GPT.

The top scoring treatments with the highest average ratings, were then put into some simple acrostic mnemonic sentences to aid memory. The acrostic sentences were also analysed mathematically to find the best ones (BEING GOOD N’ CLEAR and GREEN CAB) .

For more information see the chart below, it’s truly one of a kind!

Here is a longer acrostic including even more of the treatments:

IN Q&AS I’M BEING GOOD & CLEAR

Inhalation of salt (dry or wet), Nettle tea, Quercetin tablets, & Astragalus (Huangqi), Saline Nasal Wash, Inhalation of salt (dry or wet), Mullein tea, Black Seed Oil (oral) & Broccoli sprouts (or sulfurophane tablets), Eucalyptus oil, Inhalation of steam, NAC supplement & Nasal wash, Ginger, Garlic, Oil of Oregano, Oil of Thyme, D Vitamin & Curcumin tablets, Lemon juice & Licorice, Echinacea tablets, Astragalus (Huangqi), Reishi Mushroom 

If you are a qualified respiratory health expert and would like to add your own ratings to contribute to this ongoing project then this would be hugely valuable. If so please download the chart below and email to luc@peacemakerfoundation.com

I am not a doctor and the information above is for educational purposes only. This should not replace sound professional health advice. No sources and references are shown because so much research was done over such a long time that I couldn’t keep track of where all the information came from specifically in each case. You may wish to check the validity of the above list or individual treatment using Google scholar or chat GPT, or with a health expert would likely be even better.