Herbal Smoking Blends & Herbs To Quit Smoking

The Holistic Herbalism Podcast

An herbal smoking blend may not sound like your cup of tea – and it isn’t! – but it’s still an effective method of working with medicinal plants. When smoked, herbs have rapid effects on the lungs and the central nervous system, including antimicrobial, astringent, relaxant, and nervine or anxiety-reducing activities. This traditional practice is still relevant today.

But of course, some people need help to quit smoking, not reasons to start! And herbs can help here as well, by reducing cravings and addressing the original reasons one started smoking in the first place. They can also help one cut down on smoking tobacco or cannabis by enhancing the desirable effects of those plants and reducing their undesirable ones.

In this episode we’ll talk about all these aspects of smoking, share some of our favorite plants to include in herbal smoking mixtures, and guide you through some practical considerations when trying this on your own.

Herbs discussed include: mullein, lobelia, skullcap, evening primrose, vanilla, uva ursi, tobacco, cannabis, pedicularis, catnip, damiana, tulsi, mugwort, bittergrass.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Medicinal smoke reduces airborne bacteria. Nautiyal, Chandra Shekhar, Puneet Singh Chauhan, and Yeshwant Laxman Nene; Journal of Ethnopharmacology 114, no. 3 (December 3, 2007): 446–51.
• The effect of chewing gum flavor on the negative affect associated with tobacco abstinence among dependent cigarette smokers. Cohen LM, Collins FL Jr, Vanderveen JW, Weaver CC; Addict Behav. 2010 Nov;35(11):955-60.
• Puff Herbal Smokes – Boutique herbal smokes, pre-formulated for you by a trained herbalist. (Coming soon!)
• Howie Brounstein’s ebook, Herbal Smoking Mixtures – a classic guide to working with herbs as smoke. A must-read if you’re interested in this topic.

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