Smoking tobacco leaves residues in your lungs and bronchial tract that can cause disease and congestion. You can clean your lungs of smoking particles by smoking therapeutic herbs that do not contain addicting substances such as nicotine, suggests herbalist Michael Tierra, in his book "The Way of Herbs." You can also take herbal tinctures to support the expulsion of phlegm, such as elecampane, mullein, and lobelia, which is an herb that also reduces your cravings for nicotine. Lobelia contains lobeline, which acts like nicotine but without the addictive effects.
Step 1
Make an herb blend with two parts mullein to one part each dry and organic coltsfoot, rosemary, yerba santa and sarsaparilla. You can put all the herbs in a paper bag and crush them to make them easier to roll into an herbal cigarette or you can even put them in the blender and then sift them through a strainer to get any large twigs out of your smoking blend.
Colsfoot, known botanically as Tussilago farfara, is a demulcent herb, meaning it soothes your mucus membrane with its anti-inflammatory properties. Rosemary or Rosmarinus officinalis, is also anti-inflammatory along with sarsaparilla and yerba santa has expectorant qualities along with mullein. Expectorant herbs help expel mucus from your bronchial tract, according to the book "The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism," by Simon Mills.
Step 2
Roll your herbal cigarettes using rice paper and smoke one per night to begin your cleansing.
Step 3
Take one dropperful each of elecampane and mullein tincture diluted in water along with 10 drops of lobelia tincture three times per day. Elecampane, known botanically as Inula helenium, is specific for irritating bronchial coughs, which are commonly due to residual particles from smoking, according to the book "The New Holistic Herbal," by herbalist David Hoffmann. It has anti-bacterial properties and combines well with mullein.
Lobelia, also known botanically as Lobelia inflata, has a strong acrid taste and will act as a respiratory stimulant as well as relaxant due to its anti-spasmodic qualities, according to the book "Family Herbal-A Guide To Living Life With Energy, Health and Vitality," by Rosemary Gladstar.
Tips and Warnings
- Perform each of your cleansing steps for a minimum of one week and increase the tincture dosage on the second week while cutting back on the herbal smoking blend.
- Discontinue the use of any of these herbs if your experience signs of discomfort or allergic reaction.
Things You'll Need
- Organic coltsfoot
- Organic rosemary
- Organic yerba santa
- Organic sarsaparilla
- Organic mullein
- Organic elecampane tincture
- Organic lobelia tincture
References
- "The New Holistic Herbal"; David Hoffmann; 1995
- "Family Herbal - A Guide to Living Life With Energy, Health and Vitality"; Rosemary Gladstar; 2001
- "The Way of Herbs"; Michael Tierra; 1998
