What does antasthmatic mean?
An antasthmatic is any medicine or agent used to relieve or counteract asthma, a chronic condition marked by wheezing, breathlessness, and constriction of the airways. The word can function as both a noun, naming the remedy itself, and an adjective, describing a substance that possesses such relieving properties. Historically, antasthmatics occupied a prominent place in traditional pharmacopoeias: herbs such as lobelia, stramonium, and grindelia were prized for their supposed ability to ease breathing, and some were even smoked as medicinal cigarettes. In contemporary medical language the term has largely fallen out of everyday use, replaced by more precise categories such as bronchodilators and corticosteroids, yet it survives in historical and botanical literature. Its prefix "anti-" signals opposition to disease, making it a clear example of how classical Greek roots shaped the vocabulary of Western medicine.
A medicine or agent that relieves or counteracts asthma.
"The apothecary prepared an antasthmatic from dried stramonium leaves."
Chiefly found in historical pharmacological texts.
Having the property of relieving or counteracting asthma.
"Grindelia was long valued for its antasthmatic effects."
Used when referring to multiple such remedies or agents collectively.
"Early pharmacopoeias catalogued dozens of antasthmatics derived from plant sources."
Long before modern inhalers, apothecaries sold 'antasthmatics' — remedies like stramonium cigarettes smoked to open the airways of asthma sufferers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antasthmatic
Antasthmatic derives from the Greek root "asthma," meaning panting or shortness of breath, combined with the prefix "anti-," meaning against. The compound entered English medical usage through Latin-influenced scientific vocabulary, likely during the early modern period when physicians systematized therapeutic terminology. It shares its root with related terms such as antiasthmatic and, more distantly, other "anti-" compounds denoting remedies against specific conditions.
Related word forms
How antasthmatic is actually used
Antasthmatic is now largely historical and technical in register, appearing mainly in older pharmacological texts and histories of medicine; modern clinical writing prefers terms such as bronchodilator or anti-inflammatory inhaler therapy.
Easily confused with antasthmatic
"Asthmatic" refers to someone who suffers from asthma or something relating to asthma, while "antasthmatic" refers to a substance that treats or relieves asthma.