Drug withdrawals and herbal remedies that may assist!
Trying to stay away from any sort of addiction is terribly difficult. When drugs of any kind make their way into our lives our entire mindset is altered, our nervous system is rewired to rely upon the drug and the journey of letting it go often seems insurmountable. We get addicted to all kinds of drugs, whether it be caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, heroin or even the wonderful rollercoaster of sugar highs that the food industry so kindly put us through on a daily basis. Whatever it is we’re trying to rid from our life, we always need a bit of extra help and support to get us there. That’s where the fabulous and crazy world of herbal medicine can really make a big difference.
Now, if you’re thinking that the costs of seeing a naturopath or buying exotic plant medicine is out of the question for you then don’t worry because when it comes to drug withdrawals, the plant world all around us grows cheap and accessible!
The number one thing that is going to make a huge difference to your withdrawals is the humble oat. Any supermarket will sell a big bag of oats for a maximum of $2 and all you have to do is eat some for breakfast every morning.
The reason oats are so effective for withdrawals is their strong impact on the nervous system. Anxiety and irritability can greatly be improved with oats while they’ll also help you sleep better and support your mind and body throughout the withdrawals.
If you’ve never had an exciting bowl of oats there are so many amazing recipes online to really make oats enjoyable. Some delicious porridge examples include:
Any fruit and some honey or maple syrup goes a long way!
And if you want to add a bit more protein to really fill you up, why not add a handful of nuts and seeds on top?! If you're not the porridge type there are so many other options for your oaty breakfast including:
Smoothies - blend oats, banana, peanut butter, cacao or any flavours you like all together!
Musli
Bake an oaty banana or apple cake or oaty biscuits or slice!
Grated Apple and Cinnamon Pie
There are some examples to get you started but there’s many more options online. Of course we can’t all eat oats or we might really not like oats and that's ok because it might be just as effective for you to go to the tea aisle and choose a calming blend of some kind. Depending on where you are you’ll find different teas but you should almost always find chamomile and green tea. Chamomile and green tea are both wonderful nervous system supporters and will be your best friends on your journey. Other wonderful herbs you might find with the teas include:
Passionflower
Lemon balm
Tulsi / Holy Basil.
Passion Flower - Passionfruit
You might even find some nice herbs growing in your garden or around your area that you’ll be able to use. For example, in any hard time a mug full of rose petals is like a big warm hug or a comfy blanket wrapped around your heart. Or perhaps even the joy of picking some mint from across your neighbours fence will be a delicious comfort.
Sometimes we need something a little bit stimulating to get us through the day, and that’s where a nice hot mug of cocao is a winner. Add some maple syrup, stevia or monk fruit if you want to stay off the refined sugars but have a sweet tooth and let your body really soak up that chocolatey goodness.
Organic Cacao
If you’re wanting to spend a bit more money or get a bit deeper into the rabbit hole of herbal medicine there are many other fantastic options. You can book yourself in to see a naturopath who’ll really be able to tailor a herbal blend for your unique needs and constitution or if you like you can try popping into your local health food store or visit us on High street to get your hands on some herbs such as Ashwagandha (AKA. Withania) and Schisandra which are going to aid your stress levels through the nervous system plus help your sleep, kidneys and hormones.
There are many options that you can try out in your life and on your journey through withdrawal symptoms, maybe with the help of some of these herbal friends you’ll find the challenge can become much easier.
TA Team xx
