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St John's Wort to help quit smoking
I am desperate to stop smoking and have tried all the conventional methods to no avail. I have heard that St John’s Wort may help. Is this true and if so, which brand do you recommend?
Up to 80% of smokers who do manage to quit will start smoking again - so researchers at the Centre for Pharmacognosy & Phytotherapy at the University of London have been investigating the usefulness of the herb St John’s Wort as an anti-smoking agent. The theory is that nicotine may act in the body of some smokers like an antidepressant and so a herb (St John’s Wort) that is more commonly used for the relief of mild to moderate depression could help when willpower fails.
The thinking is that people who suffer from negative moods are more likely to start smoking in the first place, more likely to become dependent on cigarettes, and more likely to have trouble stopping. If this is right, then St John’s Wort, which can lift mood by boosting production of the brain’s feel-good chemical, serotonin, really could help.
The brand I recommend is Kira St John’s Wort produced by Lichtwer Pharma. The new one-a-day pack costs £14.95 for 30 tablets (less than 50p a day, making it much cheaper than nicotine patches), and you can buy these from Boots or mail order direct from Lichtwer Pharma.
You may also find it helpful to remember it takes three months for all traces of nicotine to leave your system and after that, any cravings are purely psychological. Two other herbal formulations that can help you through this critical period are Aim Calm, which contains valerian, vervain, skullcap and hops to soothe frazzled nerves, and lobelia, which stops cravings by binding to the same cell receptor sites as nicotine. It also works to restore clean lungs - but since large doses can cause nausea, herbalists suggest you take it in the form of a cough syrup. Lobelia contains a number of powerful herbs, so should only be used under the guidance or recommendation from a practitioner. You can mail order both products from Napier’s, the medical herbalists on (0131-343 6683)
*Seek medical advice before taking St John’s Wort if you have been taking the contraceptive pill for several years, if you are already taking prescription antidepressants, and if you are taking warfarin. Do not take Aim Calm if you might be pregnant.