In 1996, I was trying to quit smoking tobacco and would quit for a while, then something would trigger me and I’d be smoking again. I had all this training and certifications in nutrition, herbs, vitamins, cooking, Reiki and living a healthy lifestyle and yet I kept choosing this negative habit of smoking tobacco. There is not one positive, health-supporting quality of smoking tobacco.
I tried some herbal smoking mixtures, but there were only 2 sold at the time and they were awful. They tasted like dirt to me and did not smoke well. I ended up throwing them away. I again tried going cold turkey and added daily Reiki sessions on myself. The Reiki helped, but I still had occasional nicotine cravings and the hand-to-mouth habit was especially hard to break.
I decided that I was done with this negative habit and I would research and formulate my own herbal blend for myself. As a Certified Medical Herbalist, I always had a fondness for folk medicine and ancient cultural uses of plants so I researched smoking herbs from many different cultures and decided on what I thought would be best due to their flavor, aroma and health benefits from each plant. When I landed on just the right formulation of the many that I made, I committed to weaning myself off the tobacco habit the ‘Wise Woman Way’ which is a very gentle, loving method of working with the plants and yourself. I infused my blend with Reiki as I do every herbal product I make and then figured out how to gently wean myself.
This is how I did it. The ritual aspect of rolling your own smokes brings in a consciousness, an awareness to why you are smoking. I really enjoyed this part of weaning and shifting away from tobacco to eventually just smoking Smooth Smoke®.
I brought this smoke blend with me everywhere and soon many people would ask about the amazing smell and wanted to taste it and then those who also wanted to quit tobacco started asking to buy my blend and follow what I did to permanently quit my tobacco habit and soon I was in the business of helping people quit smoking tobacco.
Now, years later, I can still enjoy the great flavor and aroma of a rolled Smooth Smoke® when out with friends or add some of the loose blend to a pipe and pass it around to share with others. This blend combines beautifully with other herbs, too. I have no cravings to smoke anything, really but I just enjoy smoking once in a while and my certified organic herbal blend is the cleanest way and has always hit the spot for me.
Melissa Held
Founder and Formulator of 100% Organic Smooth Smoke®