The natural remedies are being tried out in Middlesbrough to help addicts relax and cope with disturbed sleep patterns and detoxification.

These are being offered as part of a treatment package that also involves cognitive therapy and acupuncture.

The trial is in its early stages but experts reported a positive response.

You've got to want to come off crack cocaine or stimulants yourself, but the packs help like mad Joe, ex-crack cocaine user

Karl Sheldon, from Middlesbrough's drug action team, said: "When it comes to drug addiction we always think of the usual stuff, opiates and physical addiction.

"Stimulants like cocaine and crack cocaine are more psychologically addictive, so you are looking at a different way of treating these addicts.

"For example, the liquorish root you chew on is good for sweet cravings and also for liver function. And again with brazil nuts, the chemicals inside attach onto receptors in the brain which deal with opiates and also stimulants.

"You are not going to eat a brazil nut and all your cravings are going to go away, this is about dealing with your cravings and taking the edge off them.

'Suppress cravings'

"We have given out about 50 of the packs in the past two months, and they seem to be working."

Joe, who had been addicted to crack cocaine for seven and a half years, said the packs had helped him.

He said: "You've got to want to come off crack cocaine or stimulants yourself, but the packs help like mad.

"Once you can suppress your cravings you can get on with life. It's working for me."