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Common Name/s: |
Other Name/s: |
Botanical name/s: |
| Tobacco |
Tabacca |
Nicotiana tabacum |
General description and domicile:
Originally from Central and North America tobacco is now cultivated
world-wide.
Tobacco is an annual plant that can grow to seven feet tall. The plant is hairy
and has large leaves. It has an acrid heady smell when the leaves are crushed
and the leaves taste bitter and acrid.
It is named after Joan Nicot who introduced tobacco to Europe some thirty years
before Sir Walter Raleigh introduced it into Britain against strong opposition
in the late sixteenth century.
Smoking tobacco was banned by the Pope and several Kings but to no avail. The
smoking of this weed slowly grew, and look how widely it is used today.
Three hundred years later it was accepted as a Pharmaceutical plant in Britain.
It was used as an antiseptic, vermifuge and it was even recommended to be smoked
early in the mornings as a laxative.
Remedy Profile
Major therapeutic effects:
Nicotine, which is what tobacco is all about, is a virulent poison. In small
doses it is a stimulant (larger doses paralyze) and it has been argued that it
is the most habit forming "natural" drug in existence.
Prolonged smoking of tobacco will cause many life-threatening disorders, which
are hardly worth mentioning here as it is such common knowledge.
Tobacco is not used for any medicinal purpose.
How to choose the right remedy/Herb:
In many cases there are several herbal remedies to choose from. This can be
very confusing. Our
Choose the Herbal Remedy page explains how to refine your
choice
Part used:
Leaves
Contra-indications:
A virulent poison - the world's biggest herbal killer. What more motivation do
you need to stay away from this herb?
Properties:
Poisonous
Constituents:
Nicotine - C10H14N2:
Nicotine is a virulent poison present in tobacco and several
other plants. It is stimulant, anti-parasitic and a vermifuge. Severasl people
have died from poisoning by applying it to the skin as a parasitic or
insecticide.
Nicotine is a Pyridine-piperidine alkaloid
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Pyridine-piperidine Alkaloids: These
Alkaloids include Nicotine, Coniine - both are exceptionally toxic. In very
small doses (extreme care should be taken with these toxic compounds) pyridine
alkaloids most are stimulant, bronchiodilatory, and sedative.
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Alkaloids Typical alkaloids are alkaline organic vegetable
substances containing one or more nitrogen atoms. This nitrogen base is capable
of combining with acids to form crystalline salts. Most alkaloids are derived
from amino acids while a few are derived from isoprene units. Alkaloids are white or colourless solids containing oxygen (oxygen
free alkaloids are few and far between and then can only exist as liquids) Most
alkaloids are not water soluble, extraction is normally by tincture.
Alkaloids are found in about one quarter of all flowering plants. Thousands of
alkaloids have been identified from a large number of plants where the alkaloid
can be present in virtually every part of the plant or just a specific part like
rhizome, leaf or seed.
Alkaloids
generally have profound physiological impact on the human body and nervous
system effects are predominant.
Many alkaloids are used as extracted and refined compounds derived from the
actual plants or synthesised compounds in pharmaceutical drugs.
Several Alkaloids are banned in many countries because of the extreme impact
on the nervous system (strychnine for instance is a deadly poison in very small
doses) and the habit forming nature of some of the alkaloid compounds. |
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Several other Alkaloids (see above)
* Statements made
have not been evaluated by American Food and Drug Authority or similar board
or authority of any other country.
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improvement plan. |
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