Airway hyperresponsiveness, the pivotal feature of asthma, can be assessed by bronchial provocation tests (BPTs), which may elicit bronchoconstriction via inhalation of stimuli. Histamine has been a direct stimulus for inducing bronchoconstriction via vasodilation, eosinophil chemotaxis and tissue edema. Clinically, histamine BPT (His-BPT) has gained extensive application for decades owing to the assay sensitivity and feasibility, but could not ideally predict anti-inflammatory treatment outcomes in practice. Additionally, mild adverse events (flushing and hoarseness) and insufficient capacity of identifying exercise-induced asthma have hampered further clinical applications.