Post by Rik Wallin on Apr 6, 2007 12:11:27 GMT -6
Herbs for Caffeine Withdrawal
I have come off a 3-4 cup a day coffee habit several times without any noticeable symptoms. I allow myself 3-4 days, and begin by substituting tea with caffeine in place of coffee, and then phasing out the tea with herbal tea.
Using this method, i maintain the same level of fluid intake, plus i do not have to fight against force of habit--those times when i would habitually grab a cup of coffee, i grab a cup of herbal tea instead--some of the stimuli are still there--the hot mug in my hand, the steamy beverage, the sensual experience of drinking, plus some of the herb teas taste great, even better than coffee.
A couple helpful hints--i found herbal teas that are mildly diuretic to be helpful--i think some of the negative side effects which people report may be caused by rebound water retention, as caffeine is a diuretic. Also, some of the Celestial Seasonings caffeinated teas have a scale on the side of the box showing the amount of caffeine in the tea and how it rates relative to other caffeinated beverages, which is useful for keeping track while weaning oneself off java, obviously you would not want to simply substitute tea with the same or more caffeine than coffee.
The reports that I have seen about caffeine, both for and against, have seemed to me rather biased and unobjective--everybody "knows" that withdrawal from caffeine is "supposed to be horrible" and so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just make an effort to distinguish the drama about caffeine withdrawal from what it actually feels like and you will see that it's really not so bad.
I wish you the best of luck,
--jonathan
jonathan@indigo1.carb.nist.gov
I have come off a 3-4 cup a day coffee habit several times without any noticeable symptoms. I allow myself 3-4 days, and begin by substituting tea with caffeine in place of coffee, and then phasing out the tea with herbal tea.
Using this method, i maintain the same level of fluid intake, plus i do not have to fight against force of habit--those times when i would habitually grab a cup of coffee, i grab a cup of herbal tea instead--some of the stimuli are still there--the hot mug in my hand, the steamy beverage, the sensual experience of drinking, plus some of the herb teas taste great, even better than coffee.
A couple helpful hints--i found herbal teas that are mildly diuretic to be helpful--i think some of the negative side effects which people report may be caused by rebound water retention, as caffeine is a diuretic. Also, some of the Celestial Seasonings caffeinated teas have a scale on the side of the box showing the amount of caffeine in the tea and how it rates relative to other caffeinated beverages, which is useful for keeping track while weaning oneself off java, obviously you would not want to simply substitute tea with the same or more caffeine than coffee.
The reports that I have seen about caffeine, both for and against, have seemed to me rather biased and unobjective--everybody "knows" that withdrawal from caffeine is "supposed to be horrible" and so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just make an effort to distinguish the drama about caffeine withdrawal from what it actually feels like and you will see that it's really not so bad.
I wish you the best of luck,
--jonathan
jonathan@indigo1.carb.nist.gov