Herbal Remedies to Fight Addiction

August 13, 2014

Embracing Herbal Remedies For Addiction

It is also known as herbal medication. It is a medication system based on the plants or extracts from plants. These plants or extracts have been used for many years by different cultures and they are still in use. The herbal medicine has been preferred by many due to the fact that it has little or no residual effects and they have flexibility in the mode in which they are administered.

Why is herbal medicine considered helpful in addiction recovery?

When a person becomes addicted, he/she may be left with decreased immunity, sometimes a shot nervous system and even a badly damaged spirit. The herbal medicine seeks to address the problem of addictions by using herbs which can:

Be able to address the mind/body system damages or alterations
Perform the task of Detoxifying the body from the addictive substance (in this case using blood-cleansing herb)
Effectively neutralize the stress response as well as strengthening the adrenal glands
Effectively Promote feelings of relaxation and keep you from tense moods.
Reduce the levels of anxiety `
Be able to promote good digestion and absorption

Which herbal medication is helpful in addiction recovery?

The process of recovering from addiction is complex. The understanding of the addiction causation is vital for the process to be successful. This knowledge helps when one wants to assess the damage which may have been caused by the addiction and hence be able to address it.

In this article, we are looking at the various herbs which can help you in the process of recovering, by combating the symptoms of the addiction and cooling down the craving for the addictive substance. The following are some herbs which have proven effective in the whole process or some point of the recovery process.

Passiflora or passion flower: passion flower is a perennial vine which has been used for medicinal value for many years. It is particularly very useful in the recovery from addiction. It works by increasing the activity of the GABA system in the brain. It works similarly to another compound known as benzodiazepines, but unlike it, passion flower medicine doesn’t cause addiction. This medication is commonly used to treat the opiate drugs withdrawal effects since it has capacity to calm the jittery and agitated nervous system. Additionally, this medication can be used for treatment of anxiety, insomnia, asthma, the menopause related symptoms, ADHD, Pains, high blood pressure, seizure, just to mention a few. Passion Flower is considered most effective when administered combined with Valerian and other nerviness.

Herbal Remedies

Scullcap This is a broad spectrum nervine tonic. The herb has been successfully used the treatment in the cases of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and headaches. Scullcap is one of the preferred herbs used in the easing of withdrawal symptoms during the recovery period. Scullcap naturally contains large amounts of flavonoids which act as anti-inflammatory agents. This is a property which is useful in the recovery period.
Rhodiola: This fabulous herb is important in the process of addiction recovery, due to its ability to stimulate serotonin and dopamine production. These chemicals are very important in our bodies and they should be maintained in the correct levels. Rhodiola herbs maintain the levels of these chemical at the right levels.
St John’s Wort : St John’s wort is a very special herb used for drug detoxification. When used in the recovery process, it serves two useful purposes: the first purpose is that it stimulates serotonin production helping depression and insomnia and then secondly it’s a powerful detoxifier of drugs from the liver hence preventing liver damage.
Valerian : this is yet another strong nervine. The extracts from this herb have been used for centuries especially in Europe to resolve cases of insomnia, nervous disorders, anxiety and depression. For patients who have a history of cocaine and/or alcohol, this is a useful herb when it comes to recovery. It can also be used to treat people with nervous disorders.
Chamomile: This herb is commonly used for mild relaxation as well as in improving the digestion. It is made up from two compounds, azulene and guaiazulene. These two compounds have shown to stimulate growth of liver tissue in rats during experimentations. This herb may be very helpful when prepared as a homeopathic remedy.
Milk Thistle. This herb is very useful when the addiction had caused severe damage on the liver. The herb has depicted remarkable healing properties for the liver. A recent research done in Europe has shown that it is effective in treating diseases such as cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, and alcohol induced fatty liver. The extracts of Milk Thistle have hepato-protective properties, which is the property helpful in protecting the liver cells from damage by environmental and internal toxins. This herb can be administered in variety of form, either as a liquid extract, tablet, or capsule.

Herbal Remedies

Dandelion : This herb is very common in Europe and it is known to be an excellent liver detoxifier and mild diuretic. It improves the liver’s health by increasing the flow of bile and encouraging both the transformation and transportation of nutrients. It has been used in many areas of the world historically to treat liver disorders, arthritis and gout.

These are not the only herbs which can be used in the recovery process, there are a more good number of herbs being used to facilitate addiction recovery. The appropriate herbs for your recovery will be prescribed to you by a professional. The worldwide site which has proven professionals who can help you recover from any addiction is the awaremednetwork.com. If you need help on recovery you just need to call or visit awaremed wellness and resource center.

Embracing Herbal Remedies For Addiction

Is Herbal Therapy Effective for Alcohol or Drug Addiction Treatment?

August 3, 2014

Herbal Therapy Treatment For Alcohol Or Drug Addiction

What is herbal treatment?

Herbal treatment is one of the oldest treatment methods, but still in use all over the world. This refers to the treatment which bases on the medicine obtained exclusively from plants. The medicine is obtained from varied plants known to have medicinal values. The plants used to give a given medicinal value may vary from place to place depending with the cultural practices of the area. Different cultures may though used the same plant but differ in how they use it or the specific part that they use.

Advantages of herbal treatment in Drug addiction recovery

It is now a fact that herbal medicine is being preferred by many all over the world. The big question is, “why do many people prefer herbal medicine over the pharmaceutical medicines?” many researches have been conducted to determine the credibility of herbal medication, though this medication has been one of the oldest. Herbal medication has obviously preferred due to its many benefits to the human body. The following are some of the benefits of herbal medicine;

They have negligible side effects – many pharmaceutical medicines have been proven to have a side effect to the patient who uses them. The case is different with herbal medicines. Almost all the researches which have been conducted on the herbal medicines, have indicated that it has very low or no side effects at all. This is one of the reasons why herbal medication is highly preferred in the drug addiction recovery process since it leaves the patient with no side effects.
They are cost effective – the drug addicts may not be very productive in the community, and therefore for relatives or well-wishers to offer material support to help the addict look for treatment for the addiction may be difficult especially when the medication cost is high. Herbal medication becomes the better option for many, since its cost is highly affordable by far that the prescription medicine. This is due to the low cost in the process of research, testing and marketing of the herbal medicines as compared to the prescription medicine.
They are effective with chronic condition- herbal medicine has proven to be effective than many of the traditional prescription medicine. This medication is for this case a good medication option for people suffering from addiction effects such as chronic fatigue.
Widespread availability – one of the most important factors that make herbal medicine highly preferred in the treatment of drug addiction is its availability. The herbal medicines are readily available all over the world and hence accessing them is much easy. Some of the simple herbs that are known to have medicinal values can be grown at home and hence when they are required in the treatment they can be easily accessed from there.
Non-habit forming – herbal medicines have been proven not to cause any habit formation and hence no chances of addiction resulting from the medication.

What makes herbal treatment effective in drug addiction treatment?

Herbs have the capacity to ease some alcohol or drug withdrawal symptoms (i.e. from anxiety to insomnia) and they can also help in the detoxification of the body. One of the challenges that a drug addict will face during the recovery period is the craving for the drugs. Herbal medication has been effective in the reduction of the intensity in the addicted person’s craving for alcohol and other drugs.

Nervous system correction

Among the helpful herbs, are herbs that influence the nervous system or by gently encouraging a relaxed and sedated state. Some of the herbs that are known to bring this sedation are: – catnip, chamomile, peppermint, and skullcap. The good thing with these herbs is that they provide a wide range of ways through which they can be taken by a patient. One of these convenient ways is that it can be used together as a tea or with any other fluid. In most cases, to replace mild depression with a state of calmness, St. John’s wort is often prescribed to the patients.

Detoxification

Many addictive drugs will always leave toxins in the body even after the patient recovers from the addiction. These toxins are known to have a negative to the patient in the long run. It is therefore very important for detoxification to be done to the patient despite the recovery medication. For this detoxification to be done, there are several herbs which contribute to cleansing of the blood. These herbs may include burdock root and echinacea (purple coneflower). Some other herbs such as milk thistle, which is known to contain silymarin, support the liver which is the main toxin-filtering organ in the body. This may thus help in prevent drug-induced damage to the liver.

The Chinese herbal medicine
Kudzu root, which is often prescribed as a bitter tea, has long been used by traditional Chinese doctors to reduce the appetite for alcohol. This helps the alcohol addict who is in the process of recovering by avoiding craving effects. The recent animal research suggests that alcohol-free kudzu root extract can cut the consumption of alcohol in half. (The patients in this study, however, were a breed of hamsters.) Based on such a research, we can conclude that herbal medicine has many advantages in helping the drug addicts in the recovery.