2 Natural Caffeine Withdrawal Remedies to Avoid Headaches and Lethargy

The hardest parts of giving up coffee is coming off caffeine. Symptoms often include irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension and the well known caffeine withdrawal headaches.

The good news is there are a few natural remedies you can easily use to greatly minimize caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Ahead I’ll share the 2 best caffeine withdrawal cures I’ve found for coming off coffee without negative side effects. They work best when used together.

The first is an ancient adaptogenic herb to support your adrenals and provide a different kind of energy.

The second is a special transdermal oil to relieve tension and provide relief from caffeine withdrawal headaches and other detox symptoms.

Giving Up Coffee Basics

For some people, coffee and its caffeine have provided that jittery jolt for so long, it’s what they think of as energy now.

Real health based energy though, derived from a good diet full of fresh nutrient rich food, is much more stable, long lasting and powerful.

Letting go of coffee is a good time to switch to eating more healthy foods to support your body during the transition.

Focusing on eating better food, particularly in the first few days after you stop drinking coffee, should help lessen caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Lots of colorful vegetables and fruit, cutting right back on high glycemic ‘white’ carbohydrates and processed foods (particularly processed meats which cause many digestive problems) and eating smaller, healthier meals more regularly is a good place to start.

Plenty of clean water in between meals and especially first thing in the morning is also very important to lessen any withdrawal symptoms, especially caffeine withdrawal headaches.

2 Natural Remedies for Caffeine Withdrawal

There were two caffeine withdrawal remedies that I used when giving up coffee recently. I believe these products played a big part in the fact that I had very few caffeine withdrawal symptoms and was able to replace coffee without really missing it that much at all.

The first of these provides adrenal support to help counteract the damage caffeine has likely done to your adrenal glands over its years of daily demands. It also provide a different kind of energy to replace the jittery caffeine adrenaline jolt.

The second is a powerful tension reliever and a unique way to increase your intake of a very important mineral that coffee drinking is likely to have depleted through your kidneys. Many people will not have heard of this product, but I’ve found it to be very effective.

1. Adaptogenic Ginseng Blend

The first of the caffeine withdrawal remedies I’d recommend as support for anyone quitting coffee is Panax ginseng.

Ginseng is an adaptogen. Which is perhaps a fancy way of saying scientists don’t exactly know how works, just that it does, in a variety of health conditions and situations, seemingly adapting to the individual body’s needs.

For our purposes in giving up coffee and the subsequent caffeine withdrawal, ginseng can provide an energizing effect that I personally think is much better than coffee.

It can also provide a sense of well being and support the recovery of your adrenal glands from the damaging effects of caffeine.

Ginseng Dosage and Timing for Caffeine Withdrawal

For my first few days of caffeine withdrawal I used a high potency ginseng tincture.

It’s a natural cure for the headaches and lethargy that can come with quitting coffee and I could feel them working within 15 minutes of taking them.

The first two days I used it soon after waking up and again before having lunch (closer to bed can be too stimulating).

On following days, I cut back to once mid-morning for the rest of the week, as I wasn’t feeling any caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Heavy users of caffeine may want to use two doses of ginseng a day in this way for the first week. After that, try cutting down to one a day and then perhaps one every second day, until there are no obvious withdrawal symptoms.

How Ginseng Works for Headaches and Lethargy

Ginseng is stimulating in a completely different way and can help avoid brain fog and caffeine withdrawal headaches often associated with giving up coffee.

For minimizing headaches, it can be good to take the ginseng extract quite early in the morning, even on rising or just before a shower.

Taking ginseng once you already have a headache however is not recommended. Ginseng improves blood flow to the brain, whereas caffeine restricts it.

It seems caffeine withdrawal headaches may be related to changes in blood vessels in the brain. If you get the ginseng in before a headache starts it may be able to help ease this process.

If you’ve already got one though, it’s not advised to take ginseng as it’s unlikely to help and may even make it temporarily worse.

Ginseng is also not recommended when a person is sick with a heavy cold, flu or other inflammatory disorders as it can be too warming (though this would be a bad time to break a caffeine addiction anyway).

Extracts versus Capsules

I definitely prefer ginseng extracts made from the whole root rather than ginseng capsules with standardized ginsenosides.

I’ve previously used standardized ginseng caps and felt no effect from them. High-strength liquid panax ginseng extract on the other hand definitely had a noticeable effect.

Herbal adaptogens like ginseng are powerful though. For long-term use definitely consult a knowledgeable Chinese Herbal or Ayurvedic practitioner.

They are generally better used occasionally in times of stress, low energy or extra physical or mental need, rather than on an ongoing basis.

2. Caffeine Withdrawal and Magnesium Oil

The second product I was using when I gave up coffee was a special kind of magnesium supplement called magnesium oil. I believe it greatly helped with the very mild caffeine withdrawal symptoms and lack of headaches I experienced.

Transdermal magnesium oil is a little different to a regular magnesium supplement.

Rather than taking it as a pill (where magnesium is notoriously poorly assimilated), you spray and rub it directly onto your skin where it is far better absorbed.

It’s been estimated that around 60% of the US population don’t get adequate magnesium in their diet. There are many health issues and disorders associated with magnesium deficiency.

For the purpose of withdrawal from caffeine, its importance in relieving stress and tension and promoting relaxation is most relevant.

Magnesium is also vital for proper digestion and drinking coffee regularly is highly likely to have depleted it in our bodies as it increases its secretion through the kidneys.

Using Magnesium Oil

A good magnesium oil should be pure and highly saturated magnesium chloride from prehistoric underground sea mineral deposits, like the ancient Zechstein seabed.

Along with restoring cellular magnesium levels, using it regularly also aids in detoxification, helps improve mood and relieve stress, relieves aches and pains and even encourages healthy skin.

You should know that magnesium oil can sting mildly the first couple of times you use it and it’s best to avoid sensitive areas. But this tingling doesn’t last and this effect lets you know that it’s working.

Don’t let this scare you off from using this incredible product. You may be amazed just how relaxed magnesium oil can make you feel after a week or two of using it.

Start by rubbing it into your legs and check how sensitive you are to it. Your back, belly and inner arms are also good places to apply magnesium oil for preventing caffeine withdrawal headaches and reducing tension, though it’s best to test these areas first with a small amount.

Getting proper magnesium into your body also helps calcium absorption. Calcium and magnesium are involved in so many important processes in your body and greatly influence your level of wellness and wellbeing.

Many of us take a calcium supplement, but it’s questionable just how effective extra calcium is without an adequate magnesium intake. Magnesium oil has been shown to be one of the best ways to balance the ratios of these vitally important minerals in your body.

Next Steps in Giving Up Coffee and Coming Off Caffeine

If you’d like to break a caffeine addiction with a minimum of withdrawal symptoms then red ginseng tinctures and magnesium oil can help to reduce the headaches and lethargy often associated with coffee reduction.

Two other important elements though are finding a replacement for coffee that you enjoy and having a strategy for reducing your intake of caffeine.

To help with this the next post has a simple 10 step plan for giving up coffee. It uses these two caffeine withdrawal remedies and the healthy coffee alternatives from the previous post to make replacing coffee as simple as possible.