8 Ayurvedic Foods to Reduce Cravings for Tobacco

Ayurveda for Controlling Tobacco Cravings

Since time immemorial, much has been said about the harmful effects of tobacco. Every person who consumes tobacco in any form is aware of the fact that this habit could eventually kill them and yet they continue to use this harmful substance. Tobacco and its additives has carcinogenic properties which lead to a variety of cancers and other ailments. Despite knowing all this, people are unwilling to stop the use of tobacco.

Once the tobacco consumers start experiencing the advanced signs of harms of tobacco use, they start thinking about quitting. The most challenging part is to manage the cravings and urges occurring from not consuming tobacco.

This blog elucidates 8 Ayurvedic foods that can help to manage the urge during the quit process.

1. Herbal Tea

A herbal tea made with equal amounts of jatasmi, brahmi and chamomile reduces the urge to use tobacco.

Mix 1 teaspoon of this blend in a cup of hot water, and drink it sip by sip, to relieve the desire to smoke.

2. Ginger

Ginger has Sulphur compounds which help in reducing tobacco addiction. Soak pieces of ginger in lemon juice, sprinkle black pepper and store it in a container. Whenever you get the urge to use tobacco or smoke, just suck into the pieces of ginger and you will notice the difference. You can also use pieces of dried pineapple and honey to do the trick.

3. Ginseng

This magical root not only reduces cravings but also helps the body to deal withdrawal symptoms like mood swings, irritability and stress.

4. Ajwain

Regularly chewing the seeds of ajwain when you crave for tobacco, will help you do away with tobacco addiction.

5. Cinnamon

Whenever you feel the urge to use tobacco, consume a piece of cinnamon. It will definitely help you deal with the craving.

6. Triphala

Consuming one tablespoon of triphala every night helps in clearing the toxic elements from your body which in turn reduces the craving for tobacco use.

7. Tulsi leaves

Chewing on 2-3 leaves of Holy basil every morning and evening helps reduce the craving for tobacco usage. It also helps cure problems caused by the earlier usage of tobacco.

8. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha helps the body rid toxins and alleviate anxiety levels. Taking 450 mg to 2 g of ashwagandha powder can relieve you of tobacco addiction.

These foods will help you delay the urge to smoke or chew. When you keep delaying the urges, you are in turn reducing the intake of your tobacco and also detoxifying your body of the toxins thereby making your body healthier and helping you to quit tobacco by reducing your cravings to consume tobacco.

Jeera Water – A Cure to Constipation

Often many people experience constipation and the reasons can be many. It can happen from improper and incorrect diet, dehydration, lack of exercise, travel or other changes in routine and quitting smoking.

Many solutions are available which includes medication, ayurvedic treatment, yoga aasanas, homeopathic treatment, Indian churan and more. In this blog I’m going to enumerate a very easy, simple and quick way to help you with your bowel movements in the morning – having half glass of hot Jeera water daily before sleeping. It has proven effective for many people especially the smokers who are trying to quit smoking and chewing.

Many people have a glass or more of hot water in the morning, some have honey water, some have lemon water etc. to help them in passing motions. This is another way that can be added to routine to help with bowel movements. It has other benefits like it reduced acidity and gas, helps in weight loss and also mitigates the knee pain in many cases. 

Jeera Water – A Quick Way to End Constipation and Acidity!

How to make jeera (cumin) water?

In 1.5 glasses of water add

  • 1 tea spoon of whole jeera (cumin seeds),
  • 1 tea spoon sauf (fennel) and
  • 1/4 tea spoon of ajwain

Steps:

  • Put the entire mixture to boil on high flames
  • Once it starts boiling, lower the flames and let it be on the low flames for 20-25 minutes till it becomes half a glass of water
  • Allow it to cool to an extent you can drink (it should be hot when you drink)
  • Drink before going to bed
  • Ensure that you do not add any sugar, salt or honey to it.

The mixture will taste bland but you need to drink it as is.

This practice will bring you in healthy shape within a week’s time. Those having severe acidity and problems of gas should intake this without fail to mitigate their acidity. It will reduce your acidity medicine intake and bring it to zero. You will not need any medicine to cure your acidity, gas and constipation ever!

It is always better to choose natural methods of healing over medicine for it will make you healthier and boost your immunity at the same time.

Are You Your Own Remote Control?

Gain back self-power and become your own masters!

Last week, my friend was very anxious. He was about to be promoted in 4 years’ time and was still not confident he would through. In that stress, I could sense fear, loss of hope and struggle to cope with it. He washed out a couple of times, but was back soon. He smoked twice as many cigarettes he usually smoked on a regular day.

Every time his boss would call, his heart thumped and sank down fearing that his promotion might be at stake. So he would smoke even harder to manage with his anxiety. There was a lot of change in his behavior. He would get angry quickly, burst out on his children without reasons and have regular fights with his wife.

This made me think, was he the person I really know? A promotion changed his behavior and actions to a large extent. He could not control his thoughts, emotions, actions or even the number of puffs he took.

Friends, this is the case with many of us today. Financial pressures and responsibilities of a family, creates a lot of stress in the minds of an individual. One might get sick or go down into depression if not realized and corrected on time.

Studies have shown that people smoke more to relieve their stress. That implies that more stress would cause more smoking which again implies increased expenditure, more diseases due to smoking, and adverse impact on family’s health due to second-hand-smoke thereby leading to increased medical bills. This leads to limited savings and again increases the stress levels due to financial burden and then the cycle continues.

Does more smoking lead to more stress or more stress leads to more smoking?

Can’t the chain be broken? We know the adverse effects of smoking and the stress it causes in the family. Then why can’t we control our own cravings? Why can’t we be determined and be our own masters and control our brain the way we want? Are we so fragile in this most comfortable era that we do not even want to rule ourselves and be driven by a petty and trivial thing called cigarette?

I have often heard smokers say that the cravings are so strong that they cannot manage it. The after effects, the so called “withdrawal symptoms” are so worse that they cannot cope with it. But let me tell that your cravings are not stronger than your thoughts and determination. If you decide tenaciously to be stress free, then you will be and the entire universe will help you.

All you have to do is take back your control from the hands of cigarette and give it to yourself and drive your actions as per your will. I’m sure that all of you can become your own masters and be your own “Remote Control”. Don’t lose it. Because once the control is lost beyond repair, the damage will be severe and irreversible. Life is no video game that can give you multiple lives if you make a mistake and die in the game. So think smartly and act firmly and vigilantly.