Coffee is a very powerful herb and it has its place, but it's also a drug and people get very addicted to it.
Coffee has over 13 different alkaloids in it and plants rich in alkaloids are very strong medicines; oftentimes, they are the very plants that the pharmaceutical industry use, and often they are illegal for everyday use, and are plants used as "plant spirit medicine" to change consciousness, which coffee does. 13 alkaloids are many, and the way they work is by over-stimulation, they are not drawing on our own reserves of energy, but over-stimulating the system primarily the adrenals, creating short-term agitation and long-term fatigue.
Coffee is a major stimulant and driver for our entire civilization and will "rob Peter to pay Paul". We can get away with that occasionally or even regularly if coffee is a suited herbal medicine for us - kapha constitutional types often do okay with coffee as it counters the inherent heavy, dull qualities or gunas. Using stimulants regularly, without the use of balancing herbs and nutrition, people can end up with adrenal fatigue. I suggest, saving coffee for occasional mental clarity when you need to meet a deadline or long drives.
Because of the way coffee is processed, most coffees are highly acidic and break down the liver, kidneys and adrenals over time. Adding reishi or chaga mushroom powder when brewing coffee can help neutralize those acids.
Addressing fatigue
Before age 40, if you're tired, we have to explore why? You should not be tired when under 40, and if fatigued, often times, it's related to a chronic viral infection, or organs are fatigued. Adrenals are depleted because we don't rest enough and are under stress.
Ready to ditch coffee?
What we take into our bodies affect us. After fasting all night, the very first thing you take in the morning is going to set your day - it's a physical and emotional intention. Explore drinking something that gives you energy, but that is coming from within you own body that is grounded and centered like lemon balm or guayusa that has caffeine in (in Ecuador, locals have long sipped guayusa in order to increase their alertness, especially while working), but is a simple caffeine without all the alkaloids that stimulate the endocrine glands and adrenals, or green tea would be a better choice.
If you're ready to get off coffee, one approach is to go "cold turkey" and allow the body-mind fatigue to set in and take the adequate rest needed - this could be several hours, a weekend or more. Many of us are so over-stimulated that once we come to "healing", we have to come down, like coming off of drugs. It will likely take you through a withdrawal. It often takes weeks, for the body to reset itself.
Click here more alternatives to coffee > Herbal Brews
Resources:
"Remedy Season 1 "document series, Nick Polizzi
