Sys Rev Pharm 2020; 11(6): 196 205 A multifaceted review journal in the field of pharmacy E-ISSN 0976-2779 P-ISSN 0975-8453 196 Systematic Review Pharmacy Vol 11, Issue 6, 2020 Evaluation of the Nomenclature of Herbal Expectorants on Russian Pharmaceutical Market: Current Status and Future Prospects Kakhramanova S.D. 1,2 , Bokov D.O. 1,3 , Rendyuk T.D. 1 , Janulis V. 4 , Sakr M. 1 , Samylina I.A. 1 , Potanina O.G. 5 , Nikulin A.V. 5 , Nasser R.A. 5 ¹Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 8 Trubetskaya St., bldg. 2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation 2 Federal State Budgetary Institution “Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products”, 8/2 Petrovsky Boulevard, Moscow, 127051, Russian Federation 3 Federal Research Center of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, 2/14 Ustyinsky pr., Moscow, 109240, Russian Federation 4 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas LT-50162, Lithuania 5 Рeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6, Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation * E-mail: fmmsu@mail.ru Article History: Submitted: 26.02.2020 Revised: 10.04.2020 Accepted: 30.05.2020 ABSTRACT This review focuses on current data sources on medicinal plants possessing expectorant effects. The component characterization of biologically active compounds determining the specified pharmacological effect of herbal medicines was also described and analyzed. The nomenclature of expectorant drugs presented on the Russian pharmaceutical market was studied and trends have been identified. It is known that herbal preparations, as a rule, are multicomponent. Combined expectorant drugs that simultaneously affect various mechanisms of inflammation and cough are becoming increasingly popular in medical practice. It seems relevant to assess the proportion of the most commonly used components (as well as biologically active substances) that are currently used for the production of expectorant drugs. Expectorant herbal preparations may contain such groups of biologically active substances as polysaccharides, saponins, essential oils, alkaloids. Medicinal plant material with an expectorant effect is used to obtain liquid dosage forms: syrups, tinctures, infusions, decoctions, elixirs, drops, and oral solutions, as well as solid – tablets, capsules, granules, troches, powders. These drugs occupy their important niche in the pharmaceutical market of the Russian Federation. Keywords: herbal drugs, herbal expectorants, herbal teas Correspondence: Kakhramanova S. D. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 8 Trubetskaya St., bldg.. 2, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation E-mail: fmmsu@mail.ru DOI: 10.31838/srp.2020.6.31 @Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved INTRODUCTION Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of respiratory diseases. The main function of a cough is to restore airway patency by removing foreign bodies and/or pathologically altered tracheobronchial secretions from them. Cough therapy is especially relevant in pediatric practice. According to various sources, more than 50% of children under the age of 1 year, as well as more than 30% of children of preschool and school age, suffer from various diseases accompanied by cough. The difficulty in selecting the optimal drug lies in the wide range of antitussive drugs on the market and the features of their effect on physiological processes in the body [1-4]. Traditionally, antitussive drugs are divided into agents that suppress a dry cough, and agents that eliminate a wet (productive) cough. The former inhibits the cough reflex by reducing the sensitivity of the receptors of the efferent endings of the vagus nerve located in the respiratory organs, or by inhibiting the cough center in the medulla oblongata. This group of drugs includes drugs of the central (narcotic and non-narcotic antitussive drugs) and peripheral effects. Expectorants help eliminate excess sputum and restore airway patency. According to the action mechanism, this group of drugs is divided into two subgroups: drugs that stimulate expectoration (secretory), and mucolytic drugs (secretolytics). Secretory preparations enhance bronchioles peristalsis and promotion of sputum from the lower parts of the respiratory system to the upper and its excretion; these drugs reduce secret viscosity by increasing secretion. By the action the drugs of this group can be divided into reflex and resorptive. Resorptive drugs, absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, are then secreted by the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, stimulating the bronchial glands and causing direct liquefaction (hydration) of sputum. Reflex drugs, main derivatives of medicinal plants and their extracts, have a moderate irritating effect on the receptors of the gastric mucosa, as a result of which the vomiting center in the medulla oblongata is excited. As a result, the secretion of salivary glands and mucous glands of the bronchi is enhanced. Secretolytic drugs thin the sputum by splitting the polymers (mucins) contained in it, which leads to a decrease in its viscosity and easier evacuation from the respiratory tract. Mucolytics are indicated for clinical conditions accompanied by cough with thick, viscous, difficult to separate sputum [5]. Many medicinal plants have mucolytic properties, for example, thyme (common thyme, Thymus vulgaris L.; wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum L.), plantain (common plantain, Plantago major L.), primula (Primula veris L.), anise (aniseed, Pimpinella anisum L.), oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), marsh-mallow (marshmallow, marshmallow, Althaea officinalis L.) and Armenian marshmallow (Althaea armeniaca Ten.), licorice (liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) and Chinese liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC.), siberian milkwort (Polygala sibirica L.), Jacob's ladder (Polemonium caeruleum L.), common ivy (Hedera helix L.), lanceolate thermopsis (Golden Banner, Thermopsis lanceolata R. Br.), marsh rosemary (Ledum palustre L.), common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), scots pine