Herbs for Addiction Withdrawal and Nervous System Support

There’s much more content here:

:warning: If you are interested in trying herbs to assist with your addiction recovery, consult your doctor as some herbs may interact and inhibit the effectiveness of other medications you may be taking. Speak to a GP and a professional Herbalist or TCM practitioner for more information on which herbs may best suit your needs.

But I’m copy-pasting the herbs part below:

Ease withdrawal symptoms & support the nervous system

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) are both sedating herbs that can be drunk as a tea or taken as a tincture. They both are known for their ability to relax and tone the nervous system, relieving tension and anxiety. In Chinese medicine, Skullcap is considered excellent for cooling the mind, liver and lungs. For this reason it promotes a state of meditation and calms an over-active mind. Passionflower induces restful sleep without grogginess the following day. Both of these herbs are used specifically for reducing withdrawal symptoms.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) and Lemon Balm (Melissa offinialis) are also gentle relaxants that support the nervous and digestive systems. They are also both great choices for colds and flus, as they both can help clear the head and flush out a fever. These herbs have an uplifting quality that can ease depressive moods.

Saint John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Oatstraw (Avena sativa) are both nerve tonics with an antidepressant action. Oat straw is very nourishing and strengthening for the nervous system. St. John’s Wort helps to restore nerve damage and ease nerve pain, is a wound healer, and is used as an antidepressant; however, avoid it when taking pharmaceutical antidepressants.

Hops (Humulus lupulus) is another sedative herb to relieve anxiety and nervous tension. It can aid sleep as well as digestion. However, it is not recommended for people with marked depression.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a powerful sedative, antispasmodic and pain reliever. It is used for insomnia, anxiety, tension and stress. It is very helpful for relieving the physical tension & body pain associated with stress (including the stress of withdrawal). It can relax and reduce the pain of muscle cramps, as well as intestinal or menstrual cramps.

Detoxing herbs for the liver & blood

Herbs are also excellent allies when it comes to detoxing. Your liver is the organ most at risk of bearing the burden of alcohol use – and this is one area where herbs excel.

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) and Dandelion Root (Taraxacum offinale) are excellent herbs to cleanse and strengthen the liver when recovering from long-term alcohol use.

Burdock Root (Arctium lappa) and Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) are blood cleansers that start the gentle process of cleansing toxins out of your blood and body. Drink plenty of water to assist your body in the detoxification process.

Apple Cider Vinegar is another natural way to stimulate your liver, digestive system and alkalise your body. Mix 1-2 tsp of unpasteurised, organic ACV in 1 cup of water, drink before meals, 3 times daily for best results. If you are doing a detox this July, this is a great drink to include in your regime.

Herbs to overcome cravings

Gymnema (Gymnema sylvestris) is an amazing herb to regulate blood sugar – many people are surprised by how much of their alcohol habit is really a secret sugar addiction!

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) has been shown to be effective for assisting withdrawal from many addiction-prone psychotropic drugs, including morphine, nicotine, alcohol, diazepam and cannabis.

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Just adding a quick note for another contraindication for St. John’s Wort – it should not be taken with hormone-based birth control as it may make it less effective.

The interaction between St John's wort and an oral contraceptive - PubMed


These are great herbs to know about, @starborn :heart: Thanks for sharing the list and the articles to go with them!

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Adding a quick note about skullcap as I had to do some research before I bought my seeds - American skullcap and Chinese skullcap are actually different varieties and generally believed to have different properties in herbal medicine:

→ American skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora, most commonly called “mad dog skullcap”, but there are other varieties) is the skullcap used for anxiety.

→ Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis, also called “Baial skullcap”) is the variety used in TCM and kampo for cleaning hot/damp states and as a remedy for allergies and inflammation.

Both have medicinal benefits, but for anyone wishing to add skullcap to their herbal apoethcary, I’d recommend honing in on the properties you wish and choosing the type of skullcap based on that!

Some more about each, since they really are wonderful herbs :herb: :green_heart:

(Above pictures from “Herbal Remedies” by Andrew Chevallier)


It’s great to have options of herbal alternatives to help through withdrawal symptoms - this is awesome, @starborn! Thank you very much for sharing the article :pray: :heart:

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Great entry @starborn!! Bookmarking.
Thanks @BryWisteria and @MeganB for the added information :heartpulse:

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book marking and saving to print for my bos this is great information to have on hand. i do have a quesho does anyone know any herbs to switch to so i can get off of soda thats high in caffine? and that can help with headaches and all to stop fully drinking soda? i have been drinking soda for far to long and i used to drink energy drinks but had some issues and then quit that energy drink habit which has now been 10 years since i had an energy drink? i just need to find away to quite drinking soda i know its not good for the body but im in need before i become diabetic one thing i have worked hard not to become but in my family history it does happen but i also had diabetic i was able to control thro diet and was also pregnant 11 years ago and after i gave bi9rth it went away but im trying to find ways to get off the soda cuz i know it will become a cause if i become diabetic. and yes its been 15 years since i ate sweets and cany and no i dont care to much for surgary goods just the soda and thats all.

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While not specifically mentioned as soda substitutes, some of the herbs listed above to help overcome addiction also have soothing properties. I’ve found Skullcap, Catnip, and Lemon Balm/Melissa to all be wonderful to ease my headaches and calm anxiety.

In addition to exploring herbal remedies, another suggestion could be spellwork to help banish a bad habit. @Silverbear has a spell here to help give someone move away from a habit that isn’t serving them:

Whatever you choose to do, wishing you good luck with breaking the addiction, @sara6! Blessed be :pray: :heart:

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@starborn such great information :clap: Thank you. Im bookmarking this. I have been in recovery for a year now. But I am working on creating something in my area to reach the people who connect on a different spiritual path. There’s so many that end up not getting recovery because they don’t have the right tools. My therapist and everybody has encouraged me to help people like me so any information I can get is great thank you

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thank u guys i am gonna give theses a try thank u so much

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I’m happy if they were helpful for you, Sara - good luck! :heart:

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Thank u so far I haven’t had a chance yet to try it but here soon I will. Things been crazy cuz I have twin boys and they got sick and now I’m trying not to get sick even tho I kno im gonna and I’m ok with it. Also was wondering what herbal book the pages came from cuz I really need to invest in herbal books. I want to take the herbal classes but unfortunately I won’t be able to afford it yet but hopefully soon I can.

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@sara6 Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear it! I hope your boys feel better soon and that you’re able to keep ahead of the bug :pray:

Starborn kindly shared a link to where the information came from up at the top (a site called Happy Herb), but there are many other herbal schools and books too. I like the herbal school called the Herbal Academy because they give out a lot of free herbal books and information in their newsletter.

If it’s magickal herbal classes you’re looking for, you’re in luck! There’s one on Spells8 that is free for members. I’ll link it here:

Good luck and blessed studies :pray: :green_heart: :herb:

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Starborn. Hello and thank you for this excellent information! It’s nice to have natural remedies vs. Medical/chemicals.

Mote It Be

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Sara6, if you find a good reasonable priced Herbal class please let me know. That is my weakest area and I have been putting it off.

Blessed Be

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