My husband has been smoking for the last 20 years and he desperately wants to quit. He eats spicy food (mainly Indian) on an almost daily basis. I know this is a far cry and a slightly silly question, but does anyone know of a certain spice mixture that can curb the cravings for cigarettes?

Not as far as I know, never heard of it!

People in India smoke quite a lot, specially the poor (smoke Biddies, the cheap cigarettes rolled in leaves) and the young. If spices worked, they will all give up easily.

I would be interested to find out if someone knows different!

From personal experience (I've also smoked for the past 15 years), I'd say that perversely, smoking tends to lend one a predeliction for eating foods with stronger flavours. Smoking appears to impair the sense of smell and therefore taste. A lot of smokers that I know, like myself, are especially fond of spicy, hot curries...perhaps often a little too fond of the chillies. I'd be very surprised if there was a spice or a combination of spices that could actively counteract the addiction to smoking. If so, let me know, so that I can avoid it!

Someone once told me that carom seed tea is useful for curbing alcohol cravings. I was just curious as to whether or not someone knew of something to curb nicotine cravings.

It could be worth investigating herbs rather than spices, as used in Chinese Medicine.

Agree with Danbob about smoking dulling the palate, rather like high altitude (which is apparently why airline food tastes so bland!)

I have heard of people chewing on something like a cardamom pod or clove as a replacement for a cigarette but that is only after D-Day which is when the smoker has decided to give up.

Chewing cardamom (green one) or clove or fennel seeds is an Indian thing. We all do it after a meal, as a mouth freshener and a digestive aid. It may help with the 'hand-to-mouth' reflex action thing, but not sure if it helps with nicotine dependence. Howver, you never know, there may be something in it. People who chew betel leaves or Paan,(another Indian habit!), which often contains cardamoms and several other strongly scented ingredients, are the ones who tend smoke most heavily.

Can I just say that "see if there are some spices to help me stop" doesn't sound like your husband is really ready to give up !

I've seen and been around several smokers and I can't think of one of them that has given up while still wanting an "aid". The only ones who have given up and stayed that way are the ones who have turned around and said "thats it I'm not smoking any more !"

My grandmother used to smoke 40-80 a day (she was from the generation that were told smoking is good for you etc) We told her it wasn't, she probably knew full well it wasn't good for her but didn't give up, tried to cut down etc... One day she woke up coughing and spluttering (as she had done for several years) and that morning she quit. Said to herself "why am I doing this to myself" and never touched another cigarette !

My mother also brought up long before smoking was shown to be a killer smoked for years and no matter how much we tried she kept doing so. She did try cutting back, she did try patches (and if I'm not mistaken I think she even tried hypnosis once)... but never gave up. Then one day after a visit to the doctors to be told her body wasn't doing as well as she thought, she gave up, stopped just like that, no patches or tablets etc..

I'm still waiting for my other half to give up, when we first met she was giving the "put offs" and hers were "I'll give up when they get to ?2 a pack" and "after the holidays" and "in the new year year" etc. They are all along the same lines of putting it off...

The only person I know of that "gave up" with using something went to the doctors.. but there again he went to the doctors, he didn't say "I'll go to the doctors" or "I'll have a look in the chemists next week" etc... (he also saved up the money he wasn't spending on cigarettes which amounted to more than just the packet of cigarettes themselves. As he pointed out when he went to the shop it would cost him ?5 for them plus he'd buy a paper, a can of pop and some chewing gum.. so it mounted up... after a year he paid for a holiday !)

Wishing you and your husband all the best to get off them as its not easy and you need a lot of self will and inner strength...

If he really is that serious about giving up tell him to go to his Doctor and ask about it !

Steve

T What you say is very true Steve. You only give up when YOU want to and have agood enough reason or had a scare. In old days, whenever we had parties, with nearly 100% people doctors and nurses, I had to put ashtrays out everywhere, so they won't drop ashes all over the place. Some even screwed their cigarettes off into my carpet! Everyone smoked, including my husband. Now, we haven't had an ashtray in our house or parties for at least 20 years. These people were the first to realise how bad cigarettes really are for you and they all gave up, one by one. Like Steve, I know so many people who gave up 'just like that' when they had a scare.

Think how difficult dieting is. Giving up smoking is many time more difficult. Nicotine is an addiction, but it can be broken.

Before retiring, I designed the ?No Smoking? leaflet for our health service. I did a lot of research into it. Smoking has bad effect on almost every part of your body, physically and functionally. One thing has to be realised; a smoker only gives up when she/he wants to. It is never because their family wants them to.