Addiction is one of the most troubling problems facing our society today—wreaking immeasurable havoc on families and society. The best way to deal with addiction is with a comprehensive approach that includes support from trained people, dietary measures, emotional healing from childhood traumas and spiritual counseling.
Most treatment centers for drug and alcohol addictions, such as Hazelton, MN, focus on the above approaches, but a new area of hope has arisen with the discovery of several anti-addiction herbs to give people that needed edge to stay on the wagon. New research is showing that one herb called kudzu vine is good for kicking the alcohol habit, while another herb called lobelia is helpful for butting out cigarette dependence. No matter what the 'poison of choice' is, another herb called milk thistle has astonishing power for helping the body to detoxify and overcome liver damage and cirrhosis. Including herbs and foods in the daily regime that support the body's natural hormone balance can also be a key to success. All schools of recovery counsel individuals to focus on doing the things that help them to feel and express love and see the beauty in life, but sometimes people may need an added droplet of liquid sunshine to lift their spirits, such as with the golden yellow flowers of St. John's wort and it's traditional oil extract and several other natural anti-depressant herbs to support overall feelings of well being.
Sober up fast with Kudzu Vine and then Kick the Habit!
Kudzu vine is a prolific 'weed' of the legume family found growing rampantly in the southern United States. Kudzu vine root, which can be used to make a tasty alternative to wheat flour for baking, has been used as a medicinal herb in China for over 2,200 years and has been noted for treating drunkenness since 600 A.D.! The starchy root and it's extracts have been proven there to help Oriental people overcome alcohol addiction, sober up faster, block alcohol's intoxicating effects and prevent hangovers. Scientific studies in the U.S. have corroborated these findings.
Jean Carper, in her book, Miracle Cures, provides convincing evidence of
the case for kudzu tea and extracts for abating and even curing alcoholism.
She reports how a doctor from Harvard Medical School was highly impressed by
the reports that he heard from over a dozen medical practitioners in
China. Based on 300 cases of chronic alcoholism, kudzu tea or extracts were
reported to be effective at suppressing the desire for alcohol and
improving the function of alcohol-affected organs, usually within a week,
with no toxic side effects. Even more promising was the report that eighty
percent of the alcoholics said that their cravings were completely gone
after two to four weeks! These findings have been supported by research at
Harvard with a strain of alcohol-craving hamsters who preferentially
always chose alcohol over water when given the choice (and lots of it,
equivalent to a human drinking 5 cases of wine per day!). Researchers found
that right away after being given kudzu root or standardized extracts of
the phytoestrogens daidzin and daidzein, the hamsters drank half as much
alcohol; when the kudzu was eliminated they went back to their booze! Other
animal studies have found the same results. Researchers are also looking
into the beneficial effect of kudzu on normalizing brain hormone levels,
such as serotonin and dopamine, natural brain 'opiates'. Because of all
this impressive research, human clinical trials are finally underway in the
U.S.; but why wait to jump on a band wagon that's been helping people
already for over 2000 years!
Combating Estrogen Dominance
Kudzu, being a legume, contains high concentrations of powerful antioxidant
compounds called isoflavones which are 'phytoestrogens' (plant estrogens).
The main isoflavone in kudzu, called daidzein, helps to foster proper
hormone balances within the body. Phyto-estrogens counter Estrogen
Dominance and boost natural progesterone levels which bring innumerable
positive physiological effects including helping the body to counter the
chronic low blood sugar common to most alcoholics (Carper 1997; Peat 1982).
Addictions, especially to alcohol, are often, if not always,
associated with Estrogen Dominance (ED). It turns out
that high blood levels of one type of estrogen called estradiol is linked
to high blood levels of insulin, which in turn causes low blood sugar,
irritability and leaves one prone to cravings (Peat 1982; Lee 1993; 1991,
1991b; 1990, 1990b). ED is also linked to many other hormone related
diseases including PMS, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and cancer (Peat
1982; Lee 1993; 1991, 1991b; 1990, 1990b).
Estrogen Dominance can be caused by exposure to synthetic estrogens in the diet and environment (ie. from
synthetic growth hormones used in meat production; pesticides; chlorinated
hydrocarbons including PCBs; and several compounds used to soften plastics)
but can also be caused by a dietary deficiency in omega-3 essential fatty
acids (EFAs) coupled with an excess of omega-6 EFAs, which act as
precursors for several hormones (Siguel 1998; Siguel 1997; Kushi 1992;
Erasmus 1993). Unfortunately, many people in our culture are deficient in
omega-3 EFAs and have excesses of omega-6's (20-30x higher in the diet than
omega-3's) and this leads to many serious health problems (Yam et al. 1996;
Allman et al. 1995). Xenoestrogens exacerbate the problem by further
skewing the body's important estrogen to progesterone ratio. In this way,
eating organically grown foods and making sure that the diet is fortified
with herbs that contain phytoestrogens (plant estrogens which alleviate ED,
like kudzu with daidzein) and foods that contain the right balance of
essential fats can be an important key to overcoming an addiction. Getting
adequate omega-3 EFA's in the diet can easily be assured by regularly eating salmon or including one or two teaspoons of flaxseed oil in the daily regime and eating pumpkin
seeds and fresh nuts on a regular basis.
Other Sources and Benefits of Phytoestrogens
The phytoestrogens found in red clover, soy, licorice and other legumes,
like kudzu, act to balance hormones and prevent the free radical damaging
wallop generated by alcohol, drugs and cigarettes (Zava et al. 1997).
Phytoestrogens also prevent and help to reverse cancer at the same time as
they help to eliminate cravings! In fact, the herb in the famous
anti-cancer Essiac formula that nurse Rene Caisse considered to have the
strongest activity for killing cancer cells was sheep sorrel, which has now
been found to have quite substantial phytoestrogen activity. Out of 150
herbs tested for phytoestrogen activity, sheep sorrel ranks 10th with soy,
licorice root and red clover herb topping the list (Zava et al. 1997). The Flor-Essence Herbal Tea Blend, which Rene Caisse worked on towards the end of her life with the famous Dr. Charles Brusch, physician of President Kennedy,
contains several herbs with potent phytoestrogens including sheep sorrel,
red clover and blessed thistle. Research on soy, red clover and flax seed
has shown that phytoestrogens have the following properties: 1) they have
the ability to prevent the body from over-producing estrogens (ie. they act
as anti-estrogens just like the synthetic cancer-preventing drugs,
Tamoxiphen and Raloxifene, for preventing breast cancer and osteoporosis
but without the increased risk of uterine cancer and blood clots of the
synthetics); 2) they are powerful antioxidants; 3) they prevent the
formation of new blood vessels that feed cancer cells (anti-angiogenic); 4)
they are anti-proliferative and inhibit cancer cell growth (Setchell and
Cassidy 1999). Phytoestrogens-rich foods and supplements have been found to
be efficacious for preventing and even reversing menopausal problems and
osteoporosis in older women and prostate cancer in men and may turn out to
be the most important cancer cures yet discovered (Bracher, F. 1997;
Brinker, F. 1993/94; Stephens 1997; Rickard et al. 1998). Phytoestrogens in
other types of beans also have these properties, such as peanuts, pinto
beans, chickpeas and black beans.
The common garden 'weed', chickweed, also contains genistein. Many of these
herbs have additional applications such as licorice root tea which is also
highly effective for treating ulcers, said to be 90% effective at reversing
ulcers in one study, and can be used externally as a hydro-cortisone cream
replacement for quickly reversing skin inflammations and psoriasis (Duke
1997).
Flaxseed Lignan Research
Plant lignans, such as from flax and other grains, can be converted into the mammalian lignans, enterodiol and interpolation, in the colon via bacterial metabolism. Adlerceutz also determined that animals that are notoriously resistant to the carcinogenic effect of estrogens, such as chimpanzees, excrete large amounts of mammalian lignans, particularly enterolactone (EL), in their urine. Lignans from flax seeds have also been found by researchers to be the best known treatment for preventing the progression of the classic autoimmune disease, lupus nephritis. The recommended dosage of flaxseed is 30-45g per day. It is advisable to grind the flaxseeds up using a table-top coffee grinder before consuming them so as to release the lignans, otherwise the seeds can just pass directly
through the body without being digested. (It is also important to note that with any high-fibre food, it is critical not to take too much at once, as this can lead to intestinal obstructions when the fiber swells within the digestive tract and this can cause constipation and intestinal infections). Based on animal studies, flax seed may also be highly therapeutic for the prevention of childhood onset diabetes, another classical autoimmune disease, as well as for preventing and treating arteriosclerosis and endotoxic shock (Clark and Parbtani 1996; Cunnane et al. 1996; Prasad 1997; Prasad et al., unpublished data). Lignans have also been shown to be potent antioxidants which may also account for their anti-cancer properties (Prasad 1997; Kitts et al., in press).
Bitter Herbs for Cleansing the Liver and Supporting Proper Hormone Balance
All alcohols suffer from liver damage to a greater or lesser extent
and can benefit from herbs to support the liver. According to traditional
Chinese, Ayurvedic and European medicine, a bitter herb or food causes the
body to increase the secretion of saliva and bile, which in turn serves to
cleanse the liver, the organ that is responsible for removing excess
estrogen from the blood, a critical function that can become impaired in
cases of liver damage from alcohol, or liver congestion from too many bad
fats. One of the liver's functions is to convert estradiol into a
beneficial type of estrogen called estriol. It is known that alcoholic men
can begin to develop breasts, lose body hair and develop other 'feminizing'
symptoms of Estrogen Dominance once their liver becomes too damaged to
effectively maintain these critical hormone levels. Alcohol, itself, is
considered to be estrogenic, which can hasten the process. Like breast
cancer and cyclical breast lumps and cysts, prostatitis and prostate cancer
is known to be an estrogen-related disease marked by high blood levels of
estradiol. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is well understood that the
liver governs the hormones, and so remedies for men and women suffering
from hormone-related diseases always utilize bitter herbs and
liver-cleansing herbs. The Flor-Essence formula contains four herbs listed
in the German Pharmacopoeia as bitter or liver cleansing herbs including
burdock root, blessed thistle, Turkish rhubarb and watercress. Milk thistle
seed extract and dandelion leaves and flowers also work quickly to put the
liver back in working order!
Cruciferous Veggies for Alleviating Estrogen Dominance
Mustard family plants can also help to alleviate estrogen dominance
associated with alcohol and other sources. Cruciferous vegetables alleviate
ED by removing estrogen from the body (Michnovicz 1990). Cabbage, broccoli,
cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, bok
choy and turnips contain specific indoles that activate enzymes in the body
which deactivate and dispose of excess estrogen thus reducing the risk of
breast cancer (Bresnick 1990). Indole-3-carbinol accelerates
estrogen-deactivation by about 50% at 500 milligrams/day (equivalent to 14
ounces of raw cabbage). This anti-estrogen activity of the indoles may
explain why broccoli and cabbage have been found to be the most
significantly anti-cancer foods (common foods, that is) based on a vast
array of epidemiological studies. Heavy cooking destroys indoles and thus
is not recommended for an anticancer diet. Flor-Essence contains watercress
which, based on several scientific studies, has been found to be one of the
most chemopreventive foods yet discovered, especially for preventing lung
cancer in smokers.
Iodine for Alleviating Estrogen Dominance
Iodine, which also helps the body to balance estrogen and
progesterone levels, can be obtained from a weekly or biweekly serving of
kelp or by drinking tonics with kelp such as the Flor-Essence Herbal Tea
Blend. Iodine is an essential element required by two thyroid hormones at
levels of at least 1-2mg per week. Iodine regulates cellular metabolism and
thus also boosts energy and helps people to lose weight. Research on over
1,365 women has shown that 3mg of molecular iodine per day can resolve
cyclical breast lumps and cysts (also known as fibrocystic breast disease -
considered an increased risk for breast cancer) usually within two to three
months and may be an important element for helping to prevent breast cancer
(Derry 1998, pers. comm.; Derry 1997; Ghent et al. 1993). (Please note that
iodine solutions for oral ingestion are not the same as red iodine solutions used
topically as antiseptics which are preserved in poisonous wood alcohol!) Iodine
reduces the sensitivity of estrogen cell receptors. Estrogen receptors are
found concentrated in most sex-linked organs and tissues of the body
including of the breast, uterus and ovaries in women and of the prostate
and testes in men, but they are also found in bone and other tissues. In
this way, iodine, similar to the action of phytoestrogens, helps the body
to prevent the over-production of estradiol. Researchers have recently
concluded that many people may be suffering from a relative deficiency of
iodine. Perhaps the prevalence of iodine deficiency in the industrialized
world increased after a link between a high salt diet (the main
dietary source of iodine in our culture) and high blood pressure was made.
The 'salt scare', which involved many national news releases
to get out this important information, unfortunately failed to properly
address the need for people to find alternative sources of iodine if they
were now to decrease their use of salt. For some people, too much iodine in
the diet for a prolonged time can also lead to problems, such as
hyperthyroidism; but this does not easily occur from natural dietary
sources of iodine unless they are eaten in very excessive amounts.
Different cultures around the world that utilize 15 or more grams of kelp
per day do not seem to suffer from hyperthyroidism, however, some
conflicting reports do exist, so anyone who is planning to incorporate kelp
in their daily diet should consult the research and decide on a safe
dietary level. The levels of iodine found in Flor-Essence are safely below
the RDA. Because Flor-Essence is a liquid tonic which can be readily
absorbed by the gastric mucosa, the iodine and other nutrients are in a
highly bioavailable form. As such, Flor-Essence has been found to be
effective for helping to resolve cyclical breast lumps and cysts based on
many testimonials.
Lobelia to Put Out the Fire in Cigarettes
Lobelia, also known as Indian tobacco, is a common garden ornamental with
beautiful purple flowers that pack a strong punch against cigarette
addiction. Lobelia is listed in the pharmacopoeias of Britain, Austria,
Brazil, Egypt and China for treating respiratory illnesses including
chronic bronchitis and asthma, and is also used as an antispasmodic and
expectorant (Newall et al. 1996). Perhaps as a course of it's traditional
use in the above mentioned ways, people came to realize lobelia's capacity
to help smokers quit. The plant is now known to contain an alkaloid called
lobeline that has effects similar to those of nicotine, though less potent.
Because of that the plant is used in anti-smoking preparations aimed to
lessen nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The recommended dosage is 0.2—0.6 g
of herb taken directly or as a tea prepared by infusion or decoction three
times daily. The herb can also be prepared as a liquid extract (1:1 in 50%
alcohol) and taken as 0.2—0.6 ml three times daily. Side effects are
similar to those of excessive nicotine and include nausea, vomiting,
diarrhoea, etc.: in other words, lobelia is not a food-type of herb, like
the other herbals mentioned in this article (a tonic or food herb) and so
products should be taken as directed.
Other Beneficial Traditional Herbs for Hormone Balance
The Chasteberry tree's berry extract (Vitex agnus-castus) has also
be used successfully to treat hormone imbalances in women; scientific
studies show that it normalizes prolactin and progesterone levels and other
female hormones skewed by elevated estrogen. The lipo-sterolic extracts of
saw Palmetto berries (Serenoa repens) have been used successfully to treat
prostatitis and benign prostate hyperplasia, as well as Small Flowered
Willow Herb (Epilobium parviflorum) which is used as a tea and is greatly
valued by many men with prostatitis and women with cystitis (bladder
infections). Pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo) provide
a good source of zinc and several amino acids shown to alleviate the
symptoms of prostatitis and also contain good essential fatty acids and
plant sterols for hormone balance; a handful of plain old pumpkin seeds per
day provides relief for many men from prostatitis and may help to alleviate
cravings too.
References:
Adlecreutz, H. 1992: Diet and breast cancer. Acta Oncologica 31(2): 173-183.
Barnes, S. 1990. Soybeans inhibit mammary tumors in models of breast cancer. Progress in Clinical and Biological Research 347: 239-253.
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Bresnick, E. 1990. Reduction in mammary tumorigenesis in the rat by cabbage and cabbage residue. Carcinogenesis 11(7): 1159-1163.
Briggs, C.J. 1986. Evening Primrose: La Belle de Nuit, the King's Curall. Canadian Pharmaceutical J. 119: (5): 249-254.
Carper, Jean. 1997. Miracle Cures. Published by HarperCollins Publ., Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, NY, U.S.A.
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Dedyna, Katherine. 1997. Iodine: Bossom buddy. (Great article based on an interview with Dr. David Derry). Times Colonist Life Writer. Article published in the Vancouver Sun.
Derry, David. 1998. Vancouver, Island, B.C., Tel. 250-478-8388. Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
(Dr. Derry says that iodine is also helpful for uterine fibroids and is also essential for men's hormone health as well). What a wonderful man to talk to!
Duke, J. 1997: The Green Pharmacy, The Ultimate Compendium of Natural Remedies from the World's Foremost Authority on Healing and Herbs. Rodale Press.
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Subj: Alleviating Additions—Herbs that Help Originally published in Healthy & Natural Journal October 1999 (Vol. 6, Issue 5, pp. 101-103); and November 1999
Addictions 
