| For thousands of years, people have enjoyed the | | | | States. The ancient Greeks utilized this herb for |
| health benefits taken from a wide variety of medicinal | | | | everything from the healing of wounds to the |
| plants. Garlic, ginger, and willow bark are just a few of | | | | treatment of melancholy. St. John's Wort is one of |
| the natural remedies that have been used by people all | | | | many herbs used by holistic, alternative medicine |
| around the world in an effort to fight off illness and | | | | practitioners to demonstrate the healing powers of |
| preserve health. Like our ancestors, we too can find | | | | Nature. |
| remedies within our natural surroundings. Herbs offer | | | | The herbal medicine is commonly used for treating |
| solutions to some of modern society's most pressing | | | | certain kinds of mild to moderate depression. |
| problems, which includes quitting smoking. Being aware | | | | Advocates of using St. John's Wort claim that it is |
| of the dangers of smoking is an effective way to | | | | non-addictive and free from the usual side-effects of |
| motivate a smoker to drop this habit. The first danger | | | | conventional antidepressants. Indeed, many general |
| of cigarettes is nicotine addiction. Many harmful | | | | practitioners prescribe and actually prefer it over many |
| elements are contained within a single cigarette stick, | | | | synthetic drugs. |
| and the most damaging of these is nicotine. When an | | | | Researchers suspect that St. John's Wort might help |
| individual smokes frequently, his body develops a | | | | restore the balance of the neurotransmitter serotonin |
| dependency to the said substance, which becomes | | | | and dopamine during the time when smokers have |
| harder to break over time. This primary effect of | | | | their first craving of the day. This would help them |
| smoking in turn paves the way for other dangers to | | | | replace the morning coffee and cigarette with a hearty |
| occur. Once a person becomes addicted to cigarettes, | | | | breakfast and so ensure sufficiently high blood sugar |
| he will be at risk of acquiring numerous short- and | | | | levels to avoid mood swings later in the day. Women, |
| long-term health problems such as emphysema and | | | | in particular cite mood swings as one of the major |
| bronchitis. | | | | reasons for not giving up. |
| Aside from the said ailments, other equally foreboding | | | | St. John's Wort is uniquely formulated to help smokers |
| dangers of cigarettes are various types of cancer. | | | | "kick the habit." It helps quench the desire |
| Cigarettes contain more than fifty chemicals, all of | | | | for tobacco, stimulates circulation and respiration, |
| which have been found to increase the risk of | | | | expels phlegm, calms the nerves, and relieves |
| developing cancer of the lungs, bladder, kidney, throat, | | | | withdrawal symptoms. It is also effective for |
| and the mouth. | | | | addressing symptoms of anxiety, depression, |
| The dangers of cigarettes affect not only the person | | | | nervousness, and insomnia. |
| using the said product but the people around him as | | | | Even though clinical studies to support the |
| well. Those who are exposed to second-hand smoke | | | | effectiveness of St John's Wort for smoking cessation |
| may suffer from the same illnesses. Fortunately, there | | | | therapy is still deemed insufficient, many already |
| is a powerful herb called St. John's Wort that can help | | | | consider it to be a viable treatment option. Instead of |
| stop smoking naturally. "Wort" is an Old | | | | taking prescribed drugs, it is worth trying to stop |
| English word for plant. St. John's Wort increases levels | | | | smoking naturally by using St John's Wort, and |
| of dopamine to counteract cravings to smoke | | | | alternative that is safer and cost-effective. |
| cigarettes. Known botanically by its Latin name, | | | | Sometimes, choosing to stop smoking naturally by |
| Hypericum perforatum, for its seemingly perforated | | | | using alternative means such as St. John's Wort |
| leaves, it may have gotten its common name because | | | | means going against a doctor's advice. However, it is |
| it blooms around June 24, the Feast of St. John. It is | | | | always best to consult your doctor first if you plan to |
| native to many parts of the world, including the United | | | | use St John's Wort to kick the smoking habit. |