Definition: Bronchodilators are prescription medications used to relax the smooth muscles of your constricted airways. When the smooth muscles relax, the airways dilate (widen), making it easier to breathe and cough up sputum.
Bronchodilators are inhaled through a device called an inhaler or "puffer" that delivers a measured dosage of medication with each puff.
The history of bronchodilators goes back 4000 years to a Chinese doctor named Ma Huang, who devised a bronchodilator using Ephedra. The first modern-day bronchodilators, developed about 70 years ago, included ephedrine and adrenaline. Prior to that, whisky, caffeine, tobacco, and chloroform were used to treat paroxysms of the bronchial tubes.
Related:
Learn how to use your bronchodilator inhaler.
Get a Puffapouch and GlowCap for your bronchodilator.
Source: Breathing Free by Teresa Hale
Updated: 11/30/05