**This Article Originally appeared in Prime Magazine Feb 5, 2007**
By Jonathan Evans
Herbalist & co-owner, the Herbarium
To all of you who are trying to stop smoking for the first or 41st time, congratulations! Keep trying! Use whatever you need to stop, and if you slip, try again.
A hard 'habit' to break
Quitting smoking is not breaking a habit, because we change habits very easily, every day. What you are doing is fighting through nicotine addiction, not a habit.
If you were stopping heroin I would say the same thing to you. Do not kid yourself, this is an addiciton, and the sooner your recognize it for what it really is, the sooner you will be able to conquer it. Fortunately, if you are serious about ending your addiction, there are some natural substances that can ease the transition.
Supplementing your efforts
Make sure your supplements are adequate to help you through the stressful times. Using a high-potency vitamin and complete mineral supplement is very important. Extra vitamin C, B-complex, calcium and especially magnesium will help your central nervous system deal with the stress of quitting.
Herbal helps
Other herbal products have been used successfully, such as Siberian Ginseng, (Eleutherococcus senticoccus) to help with stress. Eleuthro is an adaptogen, meaning its levels the highs and lows. There are a number of herbal combinations that have proven their worth over the years; Dr. Clayton "Nerv Eze", Herb Pharm "Avenascullcap" and Nature's Way "Ex Stress" are all nerve tonics to soothe the jangled nerves and moodiness. Other combinations such as "Avena_Licorice" and "Smoker's Resq" help to detoxify the body, speeding up your removal of nicotine and to help with the withdrawal problems. Lobelia (lobelia inflata) contains an alkaloid which mimics nicotine, stimulates the same pleasure center in the brain, but is a calmative and is non addictive. You get that same "aaahhh" feeling but without the problems,
Teas and essential oils
Kathy (my wife, the herb lady) created a tea for smokers almost thirty years ago, to help detox the body of nicotine, clear out the crud in the lungs and soothe the breathing passages. She has also created an essential oil blend we call "Smoker's Relief", which we put in an inhaler. This was first used to help people when they could not smoke (in planes, trains, etc.) It worked so well to soothe the nerves and take the edge off, it was used in several stop-smoking protocols.
And, some homework
Finally, the best suggestion I have for you is to buy the book,"Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking" (Penguin Books). Carr was a five-pack a-day-smoker who stopped with no problem. This book will help you get through the brainwashing to which you have been subjected. No kidding, read the book. It will make your quitting a thousand percent easier.
Good Luck :. and keep on trying!
Jonathan
