Question about cannabis substitutes

[Walter D. Roy]

I dont really know what exactly I am trying to ask here, but it is curiosity that drives me.

I am having to quit smoking cannabis for a very long amount of time, and I will be drug tested at random.

Marijuana has always seemed to have calming effects on me most of the time. And tends to relieves levels of stress in my life (while of course creating others) but I think the benefit is still there.

My question I guess is that are there any herbal remedies, or just herbs themselves that can deliver such an effect? I am not really looking to get high, as much as more of a relaxer.

I am just really curious so I might end up not doing anything, and just quit everything. But I wanted to hear what you guys thought.

Feel free to ask questions, and give any advice possible

-Walter D. Roy

 

[Guyomech]

If you look down a page or two you'll find "Saying farewell to the spirit of cannabis "; a good and very relevant thread. I recall there being a couple posts listing legal herbal remedies.

Good luck! I can't say I envy you... But there will be some benefits to quitting. Or so I've heard.

 

[bindu]

KavaKava is supposed to be a good plant relaxer without much addictive potential

if you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder you can get pregabalin prescribed, synthetic but works well with no short term side effects.


Alternatively you can practise breathing exercises for relaxation, simple ones will do the job if practised regularily

 

[Vodsel]

I find blue lotus tea, in low to moderate doses, very pleasantly calming and relaxing.

Good luck with your change.

 

[nen888]

..my suggestions: passionflower (smoked or tea boiled 2x20mins); kava kava, as bindu suggested, but not every day, or there's a kind of lingering effect; lion's tail (Leonoricus spp.);
and extra exercise..

 

[Parshvik Chintan]

lion's tail (Leonoricus spp.);

i would not recommend this, i bought an ounce thinking it would help me get through my 'dry spells' but the taste alone is enough to not smoke it, which doesn't help that you have to smoke more than you would for cannabis. plus the effects are mild and the duration is short.

just my 2 cents

 

[Purges]

Kratom can be very calming and relaxing as a once off every now and then, but like anything pleasurable, it can be habit forming.

 

[jdubs]

I agree. You need to be really careful with kratom. There's another post on here where people say they have done it for up to a week or months with no signs of addiction.

I am not that lucky. If I have it two days in a row, on the third I will feel withdrawal.

So now I only do it with at least a few days in between doses. No exceptions. I try and make it at least a week between doses. Ideally up to a month. I have gone for many months in between, and this is the optimum way if you want to partake. Also, keep your doses as low as possible to avoid hangover/tolerance, which lead to habit.

Kratom is nice, but be really careful, the withdrawals are real and apparent within just a couple of days. It is also easy to fall into habit without really knowing.

Interestingly Kratom is quite closely related, structurally, to tryptamines.

I have smoked less cannabis, and drunk far less alcohol since finding both kratom and kavakava. Smoking less weed meant I could also easily give up smoking cigarettes, which is a real blessing.

With kava, do your research, on forums and such. I have had some awful kava before, but digging a bit found great stuff. Really worth getting the good stuff, to avoid just plain nausea.

Rotation and diversity is far prefferable to habitual use of any one thing, IMO.

I tried wild dagga but the taste was beyond awful.

 

[Walter D. Roy]

Thank you all for the replies!

Well all of you seem to recommend kavakava, which I did have a mild experience with. So my question is how intense are the effects?

I have to live with my parents (who are drug testing me) and I dont want anything that will raise to many eyebrows. Especially if they ask to try it, and they start feeling too weird. They might not like that.

I will do some research on Kratom and such.

Again thanks for the help

 

[proto-pax]

Scutellaria nana

 

[ChemisTryptaMan]

St. Johns Wort is also supposed to create feelings of tranquility and promote a positive outlook. I haven't tried it myself but had a family member who takes it religiously and swears by it. Plus its easily available at most supermarkets and pharmacies in the nutrient aisles. It may be worth trying it out.

 

[thEorEtical]

In my humble opinion... There is no substitue for cannabis. I have smoked various synthetic herbal mixtures as well as legal herbs and whatnot, and have never stumbled upon anything that gives even a remotely similar feeling of relaxation like that of cannabis. When one is "high" on marijuana or under the effects of THC persay, the feeling they have isnt able to be duplicated, its unique. Like I said though these are just my educated opinions derived from personal experience. My advice would be to buy a book on meditation, read the material and give it a try. It can provide you with a natural and constant sense of calm and positivity. Hope this helped in some way. Peace Love and Travels.

 

[Tokapelli]

I agree with theoretical, ther is no substitute, but there are things to make it easier on you. I tried all the synthetic bs, that stuff is extremley bad for you from what ive heard, tastes horrible and was too intense for me. There were many times I actually felt too high, somethign that never happens with real herb. I would not reccomened these at all for any reason.

What I would reccomend along with some Kava tea is getting yourself a didgeridoo. I got mine from Amazon.com for $30 just to try it out. Its kinda difficult to learn but I have absolutely no musical knowledge or skill and I was able to pick it up with a little practice. After a couple weeks I taught myself to circular breathe, and this is where the real fun comes in. With circular breathing you can keep a good drone going for a long time, the sound and vibrations along with the contorlled breathing techniques will put you in a very relaxed, meditative state of mind quickly. I found it helps to dim the lights, light a candle, and burn some sage if you have some (grows just about eveywhere i think, this is an awesome plant). This may not provide the immediate results that youre looking for but I would deffinitely reccomend it, the long term benefits are well worth it. Plus it sounds bad ass!

 

[AluminumFoilRobots]

Everyone mentioned good things... As well as the fact that there really is no substitute for cannabis! Even synthetic cannabanoids are only "in the ballpark" of cannabis, but still no cigar.

Kratom is good stuff, but watch out (as people mentioned) as it can be habit forming. Don't use it daily. I use it daily but I have a hard time being responsible as well as the fact that it is my painkiller (I have terrible chronic pain from a spinal fusion). But if you are just using it recreationally DO NOT use it everyday. It is still an opioid- just a highly atypical one structurally. 7-oh-mitragynine binds 4x as strongly as morphine to mu-opioid receptors... But by all means, if you can use it right Kratom may just help you through not beig able to smoke cannabis... And when you CAN smoke again they have a wonderful synergy!

Kava kava is nice but not everyone likes it. I like it but don't care to do it all the time - illustrating it's lack of a strong addictive pull. Making good kava can be some work, certainly more than loading a bowl... But it's really nice when stressed out or after a day of physical labor. Also, as people said, it takes some digging to get good stuff. I like vanuatan kava, I recommend looking for that.

If you use dagga, get klip dagga over "wild dagga". It has more actives. Don't smoke it, it's really and awful smoke; brew a strong decoction and reduce it to one shot per dose: the taste is bad but with a decoction it actually works. Feels a bit like a sleeping pill or low dose Valium.

Try blending lots of mild herbs into a smoking blend, mix dagga lotus chamomile skullcap valerian catnip wild lettuce, that sort of thing, into a blend and roll fat doobies. I've gotten a relaxation from a blend like this; nothing like pot but certainly not placebo... and just smoking something mildly psychoactive can help.

I basically gave you no new info, just my experience!

You might also try harmala or caapi tea... They have nice psychoactivity which might take your mind off pot. But don't take too much unless you wanna have a beta-carboline trip!