How To Use Heantos For Opiate Withdrawal

Heantos, which means “heat of the sun,” is a natural remedy for opiate withdrawal that was developed in Vietnam in the 1980’s. It’s a complex and elegant combination of 13 organic herbs which has been used to treat over 9,000 people suffering from addiction.

Until recently, if you wanted to detox off opiates with Heantos, you would’ve had to travel to Vietnam (quite expensive and time-consuming, though many people have done so). Fortunately, Heantos is now currently available in the United States at a grassroots level of treatment.

In this article, I’m going to teach you how to use Heantos for opiate withdrawal.

Many years ago, I recovered from a severe and out-of-control addiction to opiates. Since then, I’ve made it my life’s mission and purpose to help other opiate abusers recover. I’ve become an “obsessed seeker of opiate withdrawal remedies”.

A great deal of my time is spent researching and writing about these remedies (both natural and medication-based).

An Important Discovery

A few weeks ago, I shared an article on the Opiate Addiction Support Facebook page that compared talked about the leading Opiate Withdrawal Supplement on the market.

A reader commented that he “hoped I would add Heantos to the list.” However, up until that moment I had never even heard of the Vietnamese opiate detox concoction.

I started researching Heantos, and the background story alone was enough to pique my interest. I read several detailed articles and an awesome Heantos eBook, spent hours watching YouTube videos, and interviewed the man responsible for making Heantos available in the United States.

As a result of my research, I now feel very comfortable recommending Heantos as an effective, natural treatment for opiate withdrawal and Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS).

Heantos can aid in the reduction of withdrawal symptoms and cravings. It can also promote physical and mental health, as it appears to restore dopamine production and other imbalances in the body caused or exacerbated by substance abuse.

Heantos History

Heantos has a fascinating story behind it. For generations, opium has been harvested in Vietnam. Opium use in rural villages has been an important part of Vietnamese culture, however, in-between harvests there isn’t enough opium to continue supporting everyone’s habits.

In an effort to allow the elders of the family to continue using opium, the younger members would have to discontinue their use. Unfortunately, severe withdrawal symptoms manifest as a result of the abrupt cessation of opium after a physiological dependence has been established.

To remedy this, local herbalists and village medicine men traveled into the forest to gather herbs that could ameliorate these unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Along Comes Dr. Dan

After watching his father and brother fall victim to the perils of opiate addiction, herbalist Tran Khuong Dan (known as Dr. Dan) traversed Vietnam from south to north (approx. 2,000 kilometers) in the 1980s in an effort to develop an herbal remedy that could effectively treat withdrawal symptoms.

Dr. Dan visited rural villages where opium use has been prevalent for centuries, where he sought out local herbalists to discuss natural remedies for treating opiate withdrawal.

By the end of the decade, Dr. Dan settled down and organized the knowledge he had gained. At this time he also started studying traditional Chinese and medical texts to further evolve his understanding of addiction treatment.

What I find particularly interesting is that Dr. Dan purposefully became dependent on opium, and later heroin, to experiment with the remedies he came up with on himself! If that isn’t dedication…I don’t know what is.

As a result of his research, Dr. Dan developed Heantos, a natural remedy for opiate addiction consisting of 13 herbs. In 1990 Heantos was presented to the Vietnamese health authorities, at which time clinical trials began.

Heantos Appears to Work

A 1994 trial on 110 morphine-addicted war invalids at the Hoang Long Rehabilitation Center suggested that following treatment with Heantos, as much as 80% of the individuals discontinued picking up their free monthly rations of morphine provided to them by the government.

Along Comes Dr. Sung

Starting in 1995, Dr. Dan began to collaborate with the Hanoi Institute of Chemistry as part of a United Nations-sponsored effort to further research and enhance the efficacy of Heantos.

It was here that Dr. Dan worked closely with Tran Van Sung to progress Heantos from its original syrup form into “standardized” capsules. Eventually, the stages of development led them to divide the plants in Heantos into three groups of dry herb capsules.

They named these groups:

 

There have been two key objectives in the development of Heantos since the 1990s:

 

This task proved to be daunting, especially since some of the technology was not available in Vietnam. Thus, the Institute of Chemistry enlisted the help of German chemists to help them achieve their goals.

With the help of chemists at the Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle, Germany, researchers were able to create Heantos 4, which is a single dry-herb capsule containing 13 organic herbs. I took the picture below off of a YouTube video with my iPhone.

Heantos 4 contains the following herbs:

 

Note: This synergistic combination of herbs work on multiple aspects of restoring the opiate abusers mind and body back to optimal health. As you can see, each of the most common opiate withdrawal symptoms is treated with the Heantos 4 nutrient profile. Based on my studies of Chinese medicine, I see numerous herbs in Heantos 4 that restore the Yin/Yang balance, as well as increase the amount of qi (life-force energy) in the body. 

* Furthermore, Heantos 4 is rich with potent “adaptogen” herbs. Adaptogens help the body respond to physical and psychological stress, and they are excellent in the treatment of fatigue. They promote the facilitation of homeostasis in the body. Thus, Heantos 4 treatment can help the opiate abuser reduce anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, depression, gastrointestinal distress, aching muscles, restless limbs, and it can improve energy, enhance mood, and reduce cravings.

Heantos 4 Treatment In Vietnam 

Under the supervision of the Vietnam Ministry of Health, a 3-phase study was performed at the Central Psychiatric Hospital in Hanoi. This project ended in 2011 with favorable results, thus, in 2012 the Vietnamese Drug Administration (VDA) gave permission for the production and use of Heantos 4 in the treatment of addiction.

Heantos 4 is presently providing patients in Vietnamese treatment centers with the following benefits:

 

Note: In Vietnam, 1 box of Heantos 4 (for one detox treatment) contains 70 capsules (0,5 g/capsule) and is used for 5-7 days. However, the protocols for Westerners require more capsules. Typically 2 boxes are only enough for minor habits, while 3-4 boxes seem to be the average; individuals detoxing from methadone require several more. 

Heantos 4 Studies

A recidivism (relapse) study at the Hoa Binh treatment center in Vietnam concluded that 37 out of the 40 patients were still opiate-free 90 days post-Heantos 4 detox treatment.

The treatment protocol consisted of the following:

 

In a larger recidivism study on Heantos 4:

 

Note: The Vietnamese government states that since 1991, over 9,000 drug abusers have been successfully treated with Heantos. These statistics include individuals using heroin, opium, and cocaine.

Study On Heantos 4 Mechanism Of Action

Dr. Anthony Phillips (a world-renowned expert in brain function and behavior) and Dr. Michael Krausz (an addiction and mental illness specialist) have led a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to study the mechanism of action of Heantos 4.

There are 3 YouTube Videos uploaded in 2011 that share some of these findings. Dr. Phillips gives a PowerPoint presentation at the Lost In Translation Conference on some of their research regarding the use of Heantos 4 with rats.

Two important test results are as follows…Heantos 4:

 

Note: Like I stated earlier, I find the history and development of Heantos simply fascinating. Check this out: Traditionally, researchers will develop and test supplements and medications first in the lab, next on animals, then if it passes strict policies and is shown to be helpful, it will eventually become available on the market.

* With Heantos, it was first used by humans, there was a lot of anecdotal evidence that it reduced opiate withdrawal symptoms, then it was taken to the lab, and finally tested on rodents. So, in essence, it went in the totally opposite direction!

Where To Find Heantos For Opiate Withdrawal

As you can see from the studies, Heantos can be a great natural remedy to reduce acute opiate withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, it can even replenish the broken dopamine-reward system in the brain, thus leading to a significant reduction of cravings.

There are currently only two ways to use Heantos for opiate withdrawal:

 

How To Use Heantos For Opiate Withdrawal At Home

Heantos home-detox treatment usually lasts between 5 and 10 days for the initial treatment. Most individuals can expect a 50-70% reduction in severity of symptoms and duration of withdrawal. Heantos typically allows an individual to sleep and relax quite a bit. However, Heantos makes everyone groggy.

This is why it’s important to have a friend, family member, or trained recovery coach with you at all times for the first few days for meal preparation, cleaning, etc. Using Heantos without supervision during this period is not recommended and is considered unsafe.

After the initial detox, Heantos can be taken as needed on an individual basis. Everyone is biochemically unique with varying severity’s of addiction (both physical and psychological). People with long history’s of severe opiate abuse may wish to use Heantos for a 1 1/2 to 3-month maintenance phase (lower dosages).

Coaching

Heantos is not meant to be taken without supervision. Having a recovery coach who works with Heantos (like myself) can help you to customize a Heantos detox tailored to your specific needs.

Tapering

Some people have large habits or are taking methadone, and Heantos can be used to taper down with minimal withdrawal symptoms under the supervision of a recovery coach. The coach will determine the best way for you to taper. This could include using Heantos as a nighttime replacement, or they might have you take it consistently every few hours throughout the day. Click here now to view my best home detox program.