Herbal Smoking Cessation Remedies

Through many years of anti-smoking advertisements and anti-smoking programs, we know without a doubt that smoking is bad for you. We know that it will contribute to several types of cancer and that it is negative for the people around us. We also know that smokers have been ostracized from bars in major cities and that there are more and more medical methods to quit smoking developed every year. There are also many herbal and more natural methods as well that can help the smokers in our lives finally come to grips in a natural way to become healthy again.

Why Quit?

• First and foremost, if you stop smoking in early adulthood, you can add up to ten additional years of healthy life. There are many immediate effects of quitting as well. Within twenty minutes of quitting, blood pressure returns back to normal levels and after eight hours, oxygen levels return to normal. Within 24 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your lungs change back to shoe of a non-smoker and the mucus begins to clear. In 48 hours, nicotine leaves the body and the sense of taste is improved. 72 hours after quitting, breathing becomes easier. In two to twelve weeks, circulation in the blood improves. After five years, the risk of heart attack falls to around half of the risk of a smoker. In ten years, the change of lung cancer is almost the same as a non-smoker. If you quit today, you will become healthier. Phrasing the consequences that can occur in a positive way, as in this paragraph, may help change the typically negative response you receive when telling people that you're a smoker.

Herbal Remedies

• Smoking affects us physically, emotionally, and psychologically, and thus we must find remedies that will help us heal all three aspects of our lives. As you may know, many herbal remedies are not approved by the FDA and have had few scientific studies to back them up. Please use caution when trying an herbal substance and contact your doctor if you believe it necessary. Certain flower essences are said to be helpful for all of three life aspects. A combination of honeysuckle, which helps letting go, gentian and gorse which take away depression and despair, walnut, known for helping in times of transition, and Star of Bethlehem, which can release a traumatic experience, can deal with all of the aspects of smoking cessation. St. John's wort can boost two brain chemicals, dopamine and norepinephrine, which are the same chemicals that nicotine increases. This can give you some of the feeling of smoking without needing the addictive component. Mullein was often smoked by the Native Americans to remove lung congestion and smoker's cough. Lobelia can bind to the nicotine receptors in the brain, thus stopping the craving for nicotine. Since smoking is often used for stress relief, many stress relieving herbs can replace that role. Some examples are chamomile, kava, passionflower, skullcap, and catnip. Nutritionist Ceara Foley recommends a Breather's Tea to help with the quitting, which consists of 1 part oatstraw, 1 part lemon balm, ½ part mullein, ¾ part skullcap, and ¼ part licorice.

Additional Support

• There are additional non-medicinal practices that can help with the quitting process. There are certain types of breath therapy, such as Pranayama, that can help to reduce stress and improve breathing. Movement exercises like Qi Gong or Tai Chi can supplement the body with stress relief, increased circulation, and improved lung health. When quitting, doing a sort of detoxification with many fruits and vegetables can be quite helpful. Eating such healthy full of fiber foods will increase the amount of carbon monoxide that can exit, and it will limit how much weight you can get. You can also improve your compromised circulation by eating fruits like blueberries that are high in bioflavonoids. Lastly, you can suppress craving by supplementing with amino acids, B vitamins, essential fatty acids (EFAs), and beans and flax (which contain phytoestrogeas) which can help to re-balance the body's nutrition.