A variety of Chinese sage, long used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of insomnia, heart problems and blood disorders, has been found promising in the treatment of alcoholism by Italian scientists.

Alcohol dependent mice treated with the Chinese sage drank less, and those mice that had been taken off alcohol drank far less than normal when again given access to alcohol after a period of enforced sobriety. The results have excited the Italian researchers, and they are investigating the herb's safety before moving on to possible human trials.

I'm not much of an alternative therapy kind of guy, and I've never had much belief in acupuncture cures and using hypnotism to cure addiction and all that kind of homeopathic stuff; but if clinical testing indicates that a common herb seems to ease the cravings for alcohol, then I can't help but get excited about its potential. Because something is natural of course doesn't mean that it's healthy, (after all, morphine is natural…but I certainly never felt healthy when abusing it!) but a common herb, and an herb that's been used in Chinese medicine for millennia, has a good track record of legitimate safety and is something I would not hesitate to take.

Imagine a natural herbal tea, drank daily, that reduced the urge to drink. That would be very good thing and I for one will be awaiting the next stage of testing eagerly.