In a clinical trial, people with allergic asthma who used pomegranate seed extract for eight weeks had improved breathing patterns and reduced limitation of activities due to asthma symptoms compared to a placebo group.¹ This trial is the first to evaluate the impact of pomegranate extract in humans with allergic asthma.

Asthma is a lung condition the airways narrow and swell due to chronic inflammation. Symptoms of asthma include difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. However, patients are generally symptom-free between acute episodes. Pomegranate has antioxidant and inflammation-modulating properties that could help explain its benefits in this condition.

By the end of the trial, the group that received pomegranate showed significantly reduced levels of two types of asthma-associated white blood cells, eosinophils and neutrophils, in comparison with measurements obtained at the beginning of the trial.

The trial included 64 men and women with allergic asthma who received 250 mg pomegranate seed extract or a placebo twice per day for eight weeks. At the beginning and end of the study, asthma symptoms were evaluated, and blood samples were analyzed for white blood cell counts.

At the end of the trial, daytime and nighttime shortness of breath, and activity limitation due to asthma symptoms improved among the group who received pomegranate seed extract compared to the placebo group. The findings were reported on January 25, 2023, in Frontiers in Pharmacology.