Can Herbs Cure |
Why are people looking at herbal remedies? There is a general fear of using drugs to help get over smoking. Though many of them have proven to be successful in trials, some of them have been known to cause some pretty serious withdrawal symptoms. For those few whose side effects are minimal, in the end they're just like most other pharmaceuticals in that they cure what ails you, but don't offer anything that helps boost the body in any fashion.
In come herbs, which are known for improving the body as much as eating fruits and vegetables. Some herbs work in making people calm; some work in cleansing some of the inner body parts. Some herbs will help with breathing; some will stimulate your senses. Almost any herb one can think of does something to the body that's generally positive, even though some herbs can also be dangerous, especially if not taken properly.
Most pharmaceuticals are actually herb or plant based. What scientists do is focus on a certain aspect of a plant, test it over and over, and find ways to use it for specific reasons. Sometimes, the entire plant might be of benefit to a person, but pharmaceutical companies can't market plants; they can market drugs.
The ways some of these herbs are delivered are both traditional and controversial. For instance, there are herbal cigarettes that don't have nicotine in them that are offered as an alternative to regular cigarettes. The problem with them is that, no matter how many herbs they have, any kind of smoking still creates carbon monoxide that's being drawn into the body, along with tars, sometimes at the same level as regular cigarettes. Also, some people start enjoying them more because they may smell and taste better, and even though they're not getting the same fix as they got from nicotine, it still gives them some kind of pleasurable stimulus; the more they smoke, the less benefit they could have possibly gotten from the cigarettes.
Herbal teas are always a good option, and, like any real herbal remedies, will have combinations of herbs to not only offer a good taste, but will have its specific healing properties geared towards whatever one is trying to cure.
There are also a host of brand name products that mix herbs in different quantities, most fine, but some that might be somewhat dangerous, such as lobelia, which is illegal to sell in the United States, and fen-phen, which can be a power stimulant that caused so much damage it was removed from the American market in 2004.
If you're going to take herbal medicines to help overcome smoking, you should consult with both your doctor and practitioners of herbal remedies to make sure you're being safe. Buying herbal medicines over the internet without knowing if the way they're combined isn't always a safe choice. We close by listing some of the most popular herbs, and briefly tell what they supposedly do:
- St. John's Wort - immune system support, reduces anxiety, calms depression and aids digestion; this is the most popular herb for many things
- Ginseng - prevents nicotine from producing dopamine
- Passion flower - sedative
- Kava kava - anti-anxiety
- Peppermint - stimulant
- Valerian - sedative
- Bioperine - increases blood absorption
- Burdock - blood purifier
- Oat straw - stimulates the central nervous system
- Oregon grape - reduces liver toxins
- Dandelion root - improves the urinary system
© Smoke Not So Much 2009
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