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Smoking is not only a filthy habit, but will most likely kill you. Many a smoker has heard this for years and so it is not surprising that at the top of the list of New Year?s resolutions for smokers is the earnest desire to finally get rid of the addiction that is ruling their lives. Many smokers will admit that they hate their addiction, yet they do so while in the same breath lighting up another cigarette or stuffing more of that chewing tobacco into their mouths. Of course, getting rid of an addiction is easier said than done, and so it is not surprising that many companies offer a panacea that is supposed to cure the unhappy smoker once and for all. How many of you have opened your e-mail only to find dozens of spam messages that talk of herbal remedies to quit smoking. Do any of them work?

The list of herbal remedies that seek to aid the earnest nicotine quitter is quite extensive. For example, there is an herbal patch, which is issued similarly to the nicotine patches available at the grocery store checkout counter. Of course, instead of nicotine, the substance you are actually trying to give up, it contains a wide variety of herbal ingredients that seek to mimic the effect the drug has on the body, while at the same time acting as a detoxifying agent. Hops, skullcap and oat are the main ingredients that are used to curb the cravings that come with the nicotine withdrawal. The manufacturer cites unnamed researchers that speak of the effectiveness of the patch, and also claims that most people will succeed with this patch. Unfortunately, there is no tangible evidence that this patch will work, no empirical studies that are cited, and no research materials that may be perused at a smoker?s leisure.

Another herbal remedy is a three-step set that seeks to help the smoker to get a grip on the physical urges to smoke, help the body to get rid of the nicotine toxin, and also includes aromatherapy to finish the treatment process. Granted, there is no medical study to back up the manufacturer?s claim, but the company does refer to one of the ingredients? being used in India to treat opium addiction. Unfortunately, there is not proof referenced with this statement. Yet another product is a little spray bottle that is said to deliver the herbal anti-smoking remedy directly under the tongue of the individual. Its goals are to relieve the cravings as well as the anxiety and general irritability that go hand in hand with quitting attempts. In addition to the foregoing, the spray seeks to relieve shortness of breath and other related symptoms. What is, perhaps, a bit surprising that the spray is expressly mentioning the dose to use on children aged two to six. It is a bit astonishing to see an anti-smoking spray marketed to someone that young.

Medical studies on some websites are cited as saying that herbal supplements cannot repair the bodily damage that smokers are inflicting on themselves every day. Who is correct? Unfortunately, it appears that success is in the eye of the beholder, who is the patient. Since the statements made by the herbal remedy manufacturers are quite often not endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration, their statements must be taken at face value, and there are quite possibly some individuals who will use the herbal remedy and have a stunning success with it. Conversely, there will also be some who will follow the manufacturer?s guidelines to the letter only to find themselves still addicted at the end of the time period the remedy specifies. Rather than believing obscure or hard to verify facts, it is best to discuss any remedy, herbal or otherwise, with your physician. It will not hurt to have her or him look over the list of ingredients to see if they will work well together, or if they perhaps will be detrimental to any medications you are currently taking. Yet, no matter what remedy a smoker may choose to kick the habit, any effort is better than no attempt at all, and an herbal remedy may quite possibly be your ticket of escape from a life of addiction and bodily destruction.

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