http://www.theproteinreview.com ... Protein, Fasting, Weight Loss and Training Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.theproteinreview.com/2009/07/herbal-remedies-to-quit-smoking/ http://www.theproteinreview.com/2009/07/herbal-remedies-to-quit-smoking/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:46:07 +0000 Ty http://www.theproteinreview.com/?p=22 We are all aware of how harmful smoking is to our general health. Unfortunately we still see many professional athletes smoking, although they do go to great pains to hide it from the public and sports fans. For the genetically gifted smoking doesn’t seem to impact on their athletic performance a great deal. They are the lucky ones. For most of us mortals smoking will impair your ability to perform, especially your lung capacity. It doesn’t seem to impact on muscle growth, however. I have seen one study that set out to measure this and they found no difference in testosterone levels between smoking and non-smoking athletes. If anyone else can reference and studies that dispute this I would be interested in looking at them. Just like diet fads there are many quit smoking fads as well. Whether it’s hypnosis, patches, gum, medications or whatever else is out there, people will flock in their desperation to quit smoking. Just like the diets, these fads cures are just taking advantage of people and fleecing them of their money. Given that nicotine comes from a plant I wonder if herbal remedies to quit smoking may be a lot more productive and gain quicker results? These herbal remedies to quit smoking help generally by relaxing the nervousness and irritability associated with nicotine withdrawals. They can also assist with sleep. Some of the other herbs change the taste of tobacco which also helps with the whole process. Some of the herbs that are used to help with quitting smoking are: * Lobelia inflata (Indian Tobacco) - a herb whose pharmaceutical properties are similar to nicotine. It is dual in its activities, acting as both a relaxant and a stimulant. * Cinchona officinalis (Peruvian Bark) - treats edginess, nervous exhaustion, indigestion. * Daphne indica (Spurge Laurel) - helps with tobacco cravings and inability to sleep. * Plantago major (Plantain) - produces disgust for tobacco in those who chew it and cures neuralgia resulting from tobacco. * Calcarea phosphorica (Calcium Phosphate) - used to treat headaches, hoarseness, burning throat and cough which can be made worse from tobacco and tobacco smoke. Smokers are usually deficient in calcium. * Nux vomica (Poison nut) - used in minute amounts as a restorative preparation. Used to treat insomnia and irritability as well as coughing and scraping in the throat made worse by smoking tobacco. I’m not a smoker myself so I can’t say personally that these herbal preparations work 100%. But, many ex-smokers have used these preparations with success. One product on the market that has all these preparations is Cigarrest. They come in the form of gum, lozenges or tablets. There is no different between the three, it’s just whatever you prefer. Apart from the herbal preparations, their products also contain vitamins and anti-oxidants which assist in the prevention of cell damage from cigarette smoke. If you want to check out their range of products you can find them here: CigArrest Official Site The vitamins and anti-oxidants in Cigarrest products are: * Vitamin E - incorporated into LDL cholesterol where it protects the molecule. * Vitamin C - destroys free radicals dissolved in blood plasma and also regenerates vitamin E. * Beta Carotene - anti-oxidant that helps to maintain a healthy immune system. * Glutathione - regenerates vitamins C & E. * Ellagic acid - provides protection against benzopyrene, one of the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes. * Lycopene - reduces LDL oxidation by neutralizing free radicals before they do damage to healthy cells. All in all, I think herbal remedies to quit smoking are a much healthier alternative to other products out there. Check them out and see what you think.]]> http://www.theproteinreview.com/2009/07/herbal-remedies-to-quit-smoking/feed/ 0