Decades ago, smoking was stylish. Today, it is known as a killer. The nicotine in cigarettes enters the lungs and then proceeds quickly through the bloodstream to the brain within approximately 10 seconds, reports the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. This jolt of nicotine may calm your nerves or it may energize you. The highly addictive nature of nicotine makes quitting smoking tough, but some herbs may help you kick the habit by helping you relax or by reducing your nicotine cravings.
Step 1
Ease the severity of withdrawal symptoms with tincture of lobelia, available from health food stores. Use approximately 10 drops, spread out over the course of a day, in juices, teas or in water. Typical withdrawal symptoms eased by lobelia include diarrhea, nausea, headaches and insomnia.
Step 2
Prepare kava kava and wild oats as tea and sip them throughout the day to help you relax and get through the withdrawal period. In addition to easing anxiety, wild oat tea may reduce nicotine cravings, Gale Encyclopedia advises.
Step 3
Chew on a licorice root or drink a cup of licorice tea. The root is tough and chewing it may alleviate some of the oral craving for cigarettes. Licorice root also leaves an aftertaste in the mouth that alters the taste of cigarette smoke, making it undesirable if you light up.
Step 4
Wean yourself gradually off cigarettes if you can't quit cold turkey. "The Herbal Home Remedy Book" suggests removing some of the tobacco in your cigarettes and replacing it with dried herbs such as catnip, corn silk, mullein and lemon balm. Gradually increase the amount of herbs and decrease the tobacco.
Step 5
Gnaw on a piece of marshmallow root or ginger root to ease strong nicotine cravings. "The Herbal Home Remedy Book" recommends chewing fresh rose hips. You may swallow or spit out the fibrous part of the rose hip after chewing it for five or six minutes.
Tips and Warnings
- Drink plenty of water when you quit smoking to flush toxins from your body and speed your withdrawal. Talk to your doctor about starting an exercise program that may help you get past cravings.
- The FDA does not test most herbs for efficiency or for potential side effects. Use herbs only under the direction of an herbalist or a doctor of naturopathy for the best results.
Things You'll Need
- Lobelia extract
- Kava kava
- Wild oats
- Licorice root
- Catnip
- Corn silk
- Mullein leaf
- Lemon balm
- Marshmallow root
- Ginger root
- Rose hips
References
- Merc Manual: Nicotine
- Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Volume 4; Jacqueline L. Longe; 2005
- "The Herbal Home Remedy Book"; Joyce A. Wardwell; 1998
