Patches, syrups, chewing gums… Does it feel like you have tried everything, but nothing seems to do the trick, and you are still as addicted as ever to cigarettes? It could be time for you to muster up your willpower, and to try out these natural remedies!
1. Sweet orange essential oil
When you get an urge to smoke, take a flask of sweet orange essential oil and inhale the odour several times, until the urge to smoke has passed. Buying an essential oils diffuser can allow you to diffuse the aroma throughout your home, and to ease the intolerable cravings.
2. Herbal teas
There are a number of plants which slow down or ease the urge to smoke. Herbal teas can thus help with cravings:
- Boil one handful of dried lemon balm, one handful of watercress, one handful of thyme and one handful of lavender in a pot of water. Leave them to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and drink it, once it has cooled a little. If you like, you can add sugar.
- For the equivalent of a large cupful, boil a teaspoon of chopped valerian root in water. Leave it to infuse for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink it between once and five times a day. Be aware that valerian can have sedative effects and it is not recommended for certain people – ask the advice of your doctor beforehand. It also exists in the form of gel capsules.
3. Plant extracts
Your pharmacist or herbalist can prepare you a mixture of different plant extracts based on rhodiola rosea and griffonia simplicifolia or St. John’s wort and griffonia simplicifolia, to be taken morning and evening for three to four months. Drinking radish juice mixed with a little honey twice a day can also be a good natural aid for giving up smoking.
4. Salt
Fine salt could be your best friend in your fight against cigarettes. As soon as you get the urge to smoke, put a small handful of salt on your tongue. You’ll see, the craving will be gone as quickly as it appeared!