Quit Drinking for Good
NOTE: In addition to the herbs, amino acids, and supplements that we talk about below and in our book The Anti-Addiction Encyclopedia for the treatment of alcohol addiction, Lydi and I have also recommend working with the DreamLight.app, an anti-addiction guided meditation tool that uses brain entrainment to create a powerful trance state. Trance states are healing states of mind and they are an important part of overcoming most disease processes including alcohol addiction. The DreamLight.app uses an anti-addiction, empowerment metaphor (in the guided meditation) along with hypnotic music calibrated to sync with flickering, hypnotic light patterns that mimic natural phenomena such as light passing through the leaves in the trees, or the flickering light of a fire. It can be used to promote relaxation or sleep as well as to overcome anxiety during the alcohol withdrawal process. The app was designed to give users access to their subconscious minds during the addiction withdrawal process. As an addiction recovery meditation, it was created to provide an opportunity for dream-like contemplation that can be more powerful than anti-addiction counseling in some cases. In many places of the world, after all, there are sacred indigenous medicines like Iboga or Ayahuasca that can be used to overcome alcohol addiction, but in most developed countries these sacred medicines have been made illegal. So our goal was to create a tech-based-Iboga-or-Ayahuasca-analogue that people struggling with addiction can use to cure addiction at home. The DreamLight.app was designed to be used in tandem with Kudzu and Mucuna pruriens and the other supplements that we talk about below so that those who are struggling with addiction can create a powerful and comprehensive healing protocol for themselves to overcome alcohol addiction once and for all.
Click here to learn more about the DreamLight.app, a guided meditation and brain-entrainment tool.
UPDATE 2023: Agmatine is a substance that's naturally produced in the human body. Agmatine sulfate is a non-toxic supplement that can be taken to significantly reduce symptoms of alcohol withdrawal at home. Click here to read more about how to use agmatine for alcohol addiction.
Many experts believe that alcoholics have a hard time metabolizing sugars which plays a big role in their addictive behaviors. For this problem, many alcoholics can benefit from taking Kudzu, an herb that helps normalize sugar metabolism. But an alcoholic’s addictive behaviors are ultimately caused by a dopamine deficiency and the need to build up a supply of this crucial anti-addiction neurotransmitter is a priority during withdrawals and detox. Mucuna is the herbal treatment for alcoholism that everyone should know about because it boosts dopamine levels in the brain within only a few hours after you consume it. These two plants, Kudzu and Mucuna are from the same plant family and they can and should be taken together at the same time to treat alcoholism naturally.
As we talk about elsewhere in greater detail, step one in doing alcoholism recovery at home is working with plants like Kudzu, Mucuna pruriens, and supplements like N-Acetylcysteine to regrow dopamine receptors and normalize blood sugar levels. But step two (which should begin no later than by the third month of at home alcohol recovery), involves at-home therapy for trauma. As dopamine receptors regrow and as the liver becomes healthier, people who are struggling with alcoholism need to know how to release trauma from the body.
Click here to read more about how to do addiction recovery at home.
Click here to read the Quick Start Guide to addiction recovery at home with information about trauma-informed therapies that you can access at home and outside of a rehabilitation facility.
Herbs for Alcoholism
Kudzu for Alcohol Addiction
It’s a real-life tragedy that more people don’t know about Kudzu. Big Pharma would love to take this plant and create a synthetic patentable medication based on how it works, but alas, scientists still don’t fully understand the mechanism of action behind Kudzu. That’s a good thing in that Kudzu is quite safe with few side effects, but a lot of medicinal benefits. Kudzu is a plant medicine that may work through several different mechanisms as a holistic cure for alcoholism.Kudzu grows wild along the roadside in Louisiana where it’s considered a nuisance. But in Japan and other Asian countries, Kudzu is used as an important medicinal herb. Indeed, Kudzu and its cousin, Mucuna pruriens make soils more fertile, which was why they were brought to the United States in the first place. It takes a lot of money and effort for Big Pharma to keep these herbs under wraps and to make sure people don’t fully understand how they can be used and what they can do as far as acting as a natural cure for alcoholism. Until Big Pharma can create a synthetic version of these herbs that can be patented and sold at a huge profit, they don’t want people like you to find out about them. Kudzu and Mucuna are related plants but they have a slightly different effect on the body and the brain. Kudzu is the Number-One-Go-To-Herb for alcoholism because it reduces how much people drink , which reduces the negative effects that alcohol consumption has on the liver. This buys time for alcoholics to overcome their addiction, but having a healthier liver actually clears the mind too. This plant has been extensively studied in humans and time and again, it is able to alter the alcohol consumption habits of alcoholics, even if the alcoholic does not really intend to make changes to their consumption habits.
Kudzu has been used for centuries to treat alcoholism. Research has shown that kudzu can cause an initial increase in blood ethanol levels after the first alcoholic drink and some experts think that this initial spike causes alcoholics to reconsider their desired level of intoxication sooner, delaying their desire for additional drinks, but this mechanism of action has not been definitively proven yet. At any rate, taking 2000-4000 mg of this herb can help you reduce cravings and get through the Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome that makes it so hard for alcoholics to quit drinking permanently.
In one study, for example, scientists showed that a single 2,000 mg dose of Kudzu with an active isoflavone content of 520 mg taken 2.5 hours before a 90 minutes afternoon alcohol binge was able to reduce consumption habits by about 33% in a group of alcoholics. Scientists acknowledge that the exact mechanism of action that would explain how kudzu works isn’t fully understood. Nonetheless it works and it’s one of the most important medicines for alcoholics who want to quit drinking.
Click here to buy The Anti-Addiction Encyclopedia.
Mucuna pruriens for Alcohol Addiction
Mucuna is a miracle herb. Actually, it’s a bean and you can eat it just like you’d eat fava beans in a casserole or pinto beans in chili or a burrito. Indeed, if Mucuna is too edgy for you as a new food, load up on fava beans in your diet as an anti-addiction food. In the states, you’ll probably order Mucuna in supplement form and take it as a pill, but it can also be ordered as a powder and added to food. This bean helps people overcome depression and all kinds of addiction from porn addiction or social media addiction to methamphetamine addiction. It works by providing dopamine precursors to promote the production of dopamine in the brain and body. Dopamine, after all, is the neurotransmitter that makes people seek out the object of their addiction (whatever that may be). And without proper levels of dopamine, the body also can’t produce noradrenaline or adrenaline. For people who are addicted to alcohol, Mucuna helps by providing the brain food that you need to talk yourself through the process of quitting drinking for good. A lot of people get scared away from Mucuna because this bean contains L-Dopa and people get information about Levodopa (the brand name for a drug that contains L-Dopa and another substance known as Carbidopa) confused with the reality of Mucuna. The pharmaceutical known as Levodopa causes negative side effects in Parkinson’s patients. But the natural L-Dopa found in Mucuna is not the same offending agent that causes these negative effects associated with the synthetic drug Levodopa. L-Dopa is a natural substance that the brain needs every single day in order to produce dopamine. Carbidopa, the other substance found in the synthetic pharmaceutical product known as “Levodopa”, is the stuff that causes negative side effects. Read this article about the history of Levodopa as a drug for more information.
Click here to buy Mucuna pruriens.
The L-Dopa in Mucuna will help you level your mood during alcohol withdrawals and it will help you stop obsessing about having a drink too. Dopamine is a type of brain fuel that can help you think clearly about your own behaviors so that you can make wise decisions for yourself. It’s the neurotransmitter that allows you to observe whether a given behavior is good for you or bad for you. Take between 6000-10,000 mg of Mucuna daily (in 4 divided doses) during the initial withdrawal period (1-2 months). Continue taking Mucuna for another 5 months at 6000 mg per day to give your dopamine receptors time to heal. Thereafter, you can reduce your Mucuna intake to 1500-2000 mg per day. Increase it if you feel cravings for alcohol. Mucuna won’t make you feel high. In fact, the mostly likely feeling that you’ll get from taking it is the feeling of “normal”. Also note that if you are taking Kudzu at the high dose recommended in this discussion, you can take a slightly lower dose of Mucuna pruriens at 4000-6000 mg per day (four doses of 1000 to 1500 mg per dose throughout the day).
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC)
NAC isn’t an herb, but I decided to include it in this article about herbs for alcoholism anyway because it can be an extremely helpful adjunct treatment to use in combination with Mucuna and Kudzu. NAC is an antioxidant, and scientists believe this substance works by relieving oxidative stress, inflammation in the brain, and dysfunction of the glutamine neurotransmitter system in the brain and body. Also, NAC can relieve some of the oxidative stress that leads to liver disease in alcoholics. If you’re working through alcohol withdrawals, add NAC into your treatment protocol by taking 1000 mg doses 4 times per day.
Click here to buy NAC as a natural treatment to stop drinking.
Lithium Orotate: A Natural Cure for Alcoholism
Lithium Orotate is a natural salt. It is not the same thing as Lithium Carbonate, the synthetic pharmaceutical that’s used to treat bipolar disorder. Lithium Orotate can be taken as a trace mineral to treat alcoholism. It works by calming the body in a general way. Indeed, in areas of the world where the natural salt of Lithium Orotate is present in higher levels in the drinking water, there are fewer suicides and fewere homocides because Lithium Orotate makes our bodies feel calmer and more collected. Start with a 5 mg dose and increase this dose up to 80 mg per day as a natural treatment for alcoholism. Note once again that Lithium Orotate is a natural salt that is present in the diet and in the water supply. As a trace mineral, it helps our cells function properly. Without it, our cells malfunction. Click here to read more about trace minerals like Lithium Orotate and how trace minerals (like those that are found in Himalayan sea salt) can heal the body by literally “electrifying” cells (another word for “trace mineral” is “electrolyte”).
Click here to buy Lithium Orotate as a natural cure for alcoholism.
Andrographis paniculata Herbal Cure for Alcohol Addiction
Andrographis paniculata, like Kudzu, has the ability to control blood sugar levels. Scientists have demonstrated that this herb for alcoholism not only helps alcoholics control their drinking, but that it also has a protective effects against alcohol-induced toxicity. Andrographis paniculata is not a well-known as Kudzu, but this herb has a wide range of other medicinal actions in the body too including its ability to protect the liver and modulate the immune system.
Click here to buy Andrographis paniculata as an herbal remedy for alcoholism.
Summary
Mucuna pruriens and Kudzu can help you lift the dark cloud of post-acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). Taking these two herbs together will make the brain fog go away so you can think clearly about what you want to do with your life. These herbs and supplements will help you take control of your mind and your behaviors. If you add NAC and Lithium Orotate into the mix, this will help combat anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors. Be sure to take the supportive nutrients (especially the multivitamin and the B complex vitamins) to ensure that your body can properly process the Mucuna and the Kudzu to heal your brain, your liver, and the rest of your body. Below is an easy and affordable at home alcohol withdrawal treatment protocol: 1.Kudzu - Take 2000-4000 mg per day in 4 divided doses 2. Mucuna - Take 6000-10,000 mg per day in 4 divided doses 3. NAC - Take 1000 mg doses 4 times per day 4. Lithium Orotate - Take 5 to 80 mg of Lithium Orotate daily 5. Multivitamin - Follow the dosing instructions on the bottle. Note that most alcoholics are deficient in the vital nutrients that the body requires in order to metabolize the herbs and supplements above into neurotransmitters and other detoxifying agents that help the body heal. Also note that finding a good multivitamin is not as easy as it seems. Thorne Research multivitamins contain most of the nutrients you need in the proper quantities to heal alcoholism at home. 6. B100 Complex - Take 1 daily. 7. Vitamin K2 / Menaquinone 7 / MK-7 - Take 200-400 mcg of vitamin K2 daily. If you have atherosclerosis or osteoporosis or any kind of cardiovascular, blood, or bone-related health issues, take the HIGHER dose of vitamin K2. Click here to learn more about vitamin K2 as a cure for bone disease, blood disease, and certain cardiovascular diseases. Click here to learn more about vitamin K2 as a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other types of bone and blood cancer as well as reproductive organ cancers. 8. Lugol's Iodine - Click here to read the Lugol's iodine protocol. Most people in the world are deficient in iodine. Iodine plays a major role in blood glucose levels via its effect on thyroid hormones and pancreatic function. Without adequate levels of iodine, the body is vulnerable to toxins like organophosphates and bromide-containing insecticides as well as bromide in food (soft drinks and commercial bread products), water (especially swimming pools), pharmaceuticals, and the environment. Click to buy The Iodine Bible to learn more about how iodine functions in the body to protect you from autoimmunity, cancer, and other major disease processes.
Click here to buy Root Cause: Common Environmental Toxins and How to Protect Yourself from Them.
Finally, note that as your dopamine receptors regrow, you will need to address any trauma that's been stored in your body. This sounds scary, but many trauma-informed therapies do not require people to relive trauma. Indeed, people often don't know what trauma they're even releasing from their bodies when they do trauma-informed therapies because trauma is not stored in words or in coherent memories. As soon as you begin working with the supplements above, consider signing up for a free trial of at-home Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing / EMDR and begin working with any anxiety, depression, odd feelings or odd thoughts, panic, or manic that you might experience.
Click here to do a free trial of EMDR online.
We recommend that if our clients are willing to work with psilocybin to release trauma, psilocybin is much more powerful and elegant in terms of how it works to get rid of trauma that's been stored in the body. It is possible to do psilocybin therapy at home for alcoholism. Click here to learn about doing online psilocybin therapy.
Click here to buy psilocybin online.
Click here to read more about additional at home treatments for alcoholism.
When you're ready to confront the trauma that usually drives addictive behaviors, consider working with psilocybin mushrooms either doing full trips or microdosing as well as Ayahuasca microdosing. Note that Kambo and Sapito are frog venom medicines that are often used to treat alcoholism naturally too via their ability to release trauma from the body. Kambo also is a liver-healing medicine. Contact us at [email protected] for more information about sacred medicines treatment for alcoholism.
Resources:
• Penetar, D. M., Toto, L. H., Lee, D. Y. W., Lukas, S. E. (2016). A Single Dose of Kudzu Extract Reduces Alcohol Consumption in a Binge Drinking Program. Retrieved March 4, 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4510012/
• Science News (2018). Treatment with kudzu extract does not cause an increase in alcohol’s intoxicating effects, study finds. Retrieved March 4, 2021 from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110118161357.htm
• Scott, C. (2021). How I Beat PAWS With Mucuna Pruriens. Retrieved March 4, 2021 from https://fit-recovery.com/how-i-beat-paws-with-mucuna-pruriens/
• Tolosa, E., Marti, M. J., Valldeoriola, F., Molinuevo, J. L. (1998). History of levodopa and dopamine agonists in Parkinson’s disease treatment. Retrieved February 14, 2021 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9633679/#:~:text=Abstract,1960s%20the%20results%20were%20inconsistent.
• Tomko, R. L., Jones, J. L., Gilmore, A. K. , Brady, K. T., Back, S. E., Gray, K. M. (2018). N-acetylcysteine: A potential treatment for substance use disorders. Retrieved March 4, 2021 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5993450/
• Morley, K. C., Baillie, A., Van Den Brink, W., Chitty, K. E., Brady, K., Back, S. E., Seth, D. Sutherland, G., Leggio, L., Haber, P. S. (2018). N-acetyl cysteine in the treatment of alcohol use disorder in patients with liver disease: Rationale for further research. Retrieved March 4, 2021 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30019966/
Stopponi, S. et al. (2021). Andrographis paniculata and Its Main Bioactive Ingredient Andrographolide Decrease Alcohol Drinking and Seeking in Rats Through Activation of Nuclear PPARy Pathway. Retrieved May 4, 2022 from https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/56/2/240/6064998?login=false
