2. Onion
Onions contain phenolics, flavonoids and quercetin which are anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and possess antioxidant properties (5,6).
Onions also contain allicin, the same powerful compound as garlic. Both bulbs have been found to fight oral, esophageal, colon, rectal, laryngeal, breast, ovary, renal, and prostate cancers (7). Alliin slows cancer by supressing the formation of nitrosamine compounds, which are carcinogenetic (8).
Besides lung cancer, tobacco use also increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, lips, nose and sinuses, larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), esophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, uterus, cervix, colon/rectum, ovary (mucinous), and acute myeloid leukemia. (source)
3. Honey
A 2007 study in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that honey, when taken by the tablespoon, actually rivaled most commercial cough syrups in terms of effectiveness in easing coughs (9).
Since dry cough and heaving are two of the most common side effects of smoking, a sweet spoon of honey is what the throats of smokers crave.
You can also use honey wraps to help ease coughing and remove excess mucus from the chest.
4. Turmeric
Cigarette smoking causes 90% of all lung cancers and is thought to do so primarily by inducing DNA mutation.
Chronic inflammation of the lung tissue exposed to cigarette smoke also contributes to the development of the disease.
A recent study concluded that curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, suppresses the progression of K-ras-induced lung cancer in mice by inhibiting intrinsic and extrinsic inflammation and by direct anti-tumoral effects.
These findings suggested that curcumin could be used to prevent lung cancer in high-risk COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients (10).
Researcher have also found that the spice can suppress tumor initiation, promotion and metastasis (11), suggesting that it may be therapeutic for cancer patients as well.