Use of nicotine receptor agonists for treating inflammatory diseases, including a variety of pulmonary diseases. Such agonists have fewer side effects than other anti-inflammatory drugs, such as steroids. Moreover, these agonists can be used alone or in combination with other anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate pulmonary diseases. For example, a method of treating pulmonary inflammation of an inflammatory disease selected from the group of asthma, interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), and bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonitis (BOOP) in an animal in need thereof having said inflammation, including administering orally or by inhalation to said animal a nicotinic receptor agonist.
