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| Nicotiana tabacum |
Biggest Plant Dictionary | Nicotiana tabacum | Nicotiana tabacum or tobacco, a native of Tropical America is the plant that is cultivated as the principal source of tobacco.
Tobacco has been cultivated since pre-Colombian times. Plants will reach 3-10 foot in containers and is quite showy when in bloom. Nicotiana tabacum, or cultivated tobacco, is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is found only in cultivation, where it is the most commonly grown of all plants in the Nicotiana genus, and its leaves are commercially grown in many countries to be processed into tobacco. It grows to heights between 1 to 2 metres. Research is ongoing into its ancestry among wild Nicotiana species, but it is believed to be a hybrid of Nicotiana sylvestris, Nicotiana tomentosiformis, and possibly Nicotiana otophora.
Brief historyIn their first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus and his expedition were introduced to a plant whose smoke was called tobacco by the natives of Hispaniola. In 1560, Jean Nicot de Villemain brought tobacco seeds and leaves as a "wonder drug" to the French court. In 1586 the botanist Jaques Dalechamps gave the plant the name of Herba nicotiana, which was also adopted by Linné. It was considered a decorative plant at first, then a panacea, before it became a common snuff and tobacco plant. Tobacco arrived in Africa at the beginning of the 17th century. The leaf extract was a popular pest control method up to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1851, the Belgian chemist Jean Stas was the first to prove the use of tobacco extract as a murder poison in the civilised world. The Belgian count Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé had poisoned his brother-in-law with tobacco leaf extract in order to acquire some urgently needed money. This was the first exact proof of alkaloids in forensic medicine.
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| Nicotiana tabacum |
Culture:
Nicotiana tabacum needs a well drained, rich soil mix with full sun to partial shade. We use a soil mix consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite. The soil should be kept evenly moist for optimum growth. They do not tolerate drought in containers. The plants are fertilized weekly throughout the year with a balanced fertilizer used at full strength. Spent flower heads should be removed to keep the plant blooming; they can become weedy if this is not done and ultimately die off.
Mythology
Among the Aztecs and Toltecs the following myth was told: The goddess Cihuacoatl brought the tobacco plant from the sky. The rain clouds were to them the smoke that the rain god Tlaloc let out of his pipe or his immense cigar of rolled tobacco leaves.
Among the Maya it was the Balam, the gods of the four winds, who devoted themselves to smoking. When they struck fire to light their tabagos, violent thunderstorms swept the world. Tobacco was sacred to the Indians. It was a stimulant used in religious ceremonies or for states of exhaustion. With its help they sought access to the nature divinity (the wind-rain divinity).
Among the Aztecs and Toltecs the following myth was told: The goddess Cihuacoatl brought the tobacco plant from the sky. The rain clouds were to them the smoke that the rain god Tlaloc let out of his pipe or his immense cigar of rolled tobacco leaves.
Among the Maya it was the Balam, the gods of the four winds, who devoted themselves to smoking. When they struck fire to light their tabagos, violent thunderstorms swept the world. Tobacco was sacred to the Indians. It was a stimulant used in religious ceremonies or for states of exhaustion. With its help they sought access to the nature divinity (the wind-rain divinity).
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| Nicotiana tabacum |
Effects and Toxicology
From the start, there has never been a lack of voices decrying smoking. For a long time the smoking of tobacco was officially prohibited in Europe. Smokers were threatened with the Inquisition or execution. This heathen herb, it was argued, was not meant to be used by Christians.
The first medical warnings were expressed by the Dutch around 1590: Tobacco blackens the brain. Since that time the effects of smoking have been thoroughly studied. Indeed, it may be said that hardly any other drug has been so thoroughly studied as tobacco: According to Estler (3) the health risks of the constituents of tobacco are based on a complex chemical assault with several hundred substances, including hydrocarbons, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, alcohols, aldehydes, esters and oxides of nitrogen, not to speak of the acids, nicotine and nicotine derivatives contained in the particle phase.
The CO content of mainstream cigar smoke is 6%, that of cigarette smoke 4 % and that of pipe smoke around 2%. After a day's consumption of 20 cigarettes, around 5% COHb is found in the blood. This can lead to polyglobuly in the smoker, with increased erythrocytes and decreased plasma volume. In the short term, carbon monoxide saturation can reach levels up to 1/4 of the blood, leading to a chronic O2 debt and resultant constant cerebral and cardiac hypoxia. Parallel to this the heart rate is accelerated (sympathetic tonus).
The irritants contained in the smoke lead to smoker's bronchitis with loss of the ciliated epithelium. The mortality from chronic bronchitis and its sequelae is 20 times higher among smokers than among non-smokers (resp. insufficiency, decompensated cor pulmonale). Local mucosal irritation leads to reduction of olfactory and taste capacity.
Along with the polonium, phenols, vanadium and selenium, the tar contained in tobacco smoke appears to be the chief causative factor in bronchial carcinoma. It is a proven fact that among smokers the rate of squamous cell carcinoma of the mucosa of the respiratory tract is 11 times higher in the bronchi and lungs and 5 times higher in the larynx and oral cavity. The rates of carcinomas of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, prostate and urinary bladder are 1-2 times higher.
From the start, there has never been a lack of voices decrying smoking. For a long time the smoking of tobacco was officially prohibited in Europe. Smokers were threatened with the Inquisition or execution. This heathen herb, it was argued, was not meant to be used by Christians.
The first medical warnings were expressed by the Dutch around 1590: Tobacco blackens the brain. Since that time the effects of smoking have been thoroughly studied. Indeed, it may be said that hardly any other drug has been so thoroughly studied as tobacco: According to Estler (3) the health risks of the constituents of tobacco are based on a complex chemical assault with several hundred substances, including hydrocarbons, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, alcohols, aldehydes, esters and oxides of nitrogen, not to speak of the acids, nicotine and nicotine derivatives contained in the particle phase.
The CO content of mainstream cigar smoke is 6%, that of cigarette smoke 4 % and that of pipe smoke around 2%. After a day's consumption of 20 cigarettes, around 5% COHb is found in the blood. This can lead to polyglobuly in the smoker, with increased erythrocytes and decreased plasma volume. In the short term, carbon monoxide saturation can reach levels up to 1/4 of the blood, leading to a chronic O2 debt and resultant constant cerebral and cardiac hypoxia. Parallel to this the heart rate is accelerated (sympathetic tonus).
The irritants contained in the smoke lead to smoker's bronchitis with loss of the ciliated epithelium. The mortality from chronic bronchitis and its sequelae is 20 times higher among smokers than among non-smokers (resp. insufficiency, decompensated cor pulmonale). Local mucosal irritation leads to reduction of olfactory and taste capacity.
Along with the polonium, phenols, vanadium and selenium, the tar contained in tobacco smoke appears to be the chief causative factor in bronchial carcinoma. It is a proven fact that among smokers the rate of squamous cell carcinoma of the mucosa of the respiratory tract is 11 times higher in the bronchi and lungs and 5 times higher in the larynx and oral cavity. The rates of carcinomas of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, prostate and urinary bladder are 1-2 times higher.
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| Nicotiana tabacum |
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| Nicotiana tabacum |
Ethnomedicinal uses
Tobacco has been used as an antispasmodic, a diuretic, an emetic, an expectorant, a sedative, and a sialagogue, and in homeopathy.
Tobacco has a long history of use by medical herbalists as a relaxant, though since it is a highly addictive drug it is seldom employed internally or externally at present. The leaves act as antispasmodics, discutients, diuretics, emetics, expectorants, irritants, sedatives and sialagogues. Wet tobacco leaves are applied externally in the treatment of rheumatic swelling, skin diseases and stings, as the active ingredients can be absorbed through the skin. They are also a certain cure for painful piles. A homeopathic remedy made from the dried leaves is used in the treatment of nausea and travel sickness. Some other activities reported for Nicotiana tabacum are: Analgesic activity, anesthetic activity, angiogenesis inhibition, antibacterial activity, anti convulsant activities, anti estrogenic effect, antifungal activity, antiglaucomic activity, antioxidant activity, antistress effect, antiviral activity, aromatase inhibition, arrhythmogenic effect, carcinogenic activity, bronchoconstrictor activity, bupivacaine kinetics,
The regions that have histories of use of the plant include:
* Brazil: Leaves are heated and the juice is squeezed out, mixed with ash from bark of Theobroma subircanum or other Theobroma species to make an intoxicating snuff. The leaf juice is taken orally to induce vomiting and narcosis.
* Colombia: Fresh leaf is used as poultice over boils and infected wounds; the leaves are crushed with oil from palms and used as hair treatment to prevent baldness.
* Cuba: Extract of the leaf is taken orally to treat dysmenorrheal.
* East Africa: Dried leaves of Nicotiana tabacum and Securinega virosa are mixed into a paste and used externally to destroy worms in sores.
* Ecuador: Leaf juice is used for indisposition, chills and snake bites and to treat pulmonary ailments.
* Fiji: Fresh root is taken orally for asthma and indigestion; fresh root is applied ophthalmically as drops for bloodshot eyes and other problems; seed is taken orally for rheumatism and to treat hoarsness.
* Guatemala: Leaves are applied externally by adults for myasis, headache and wounds; hot water extract of the dried leaf is applied externally for ring worms, fungal diseases of the skin, wounds, ulcers, bruises, sores, mouth lesions, stomartitis and mucosa; leaf is orally taken for kidney diseases.
* Haiti: Decoction of dried leaf is taken orally for bronchitis and pneumonia.
* India: Juice of Securinega leucopyrus is mixed with the dried leaves of Nicotiana tabacum and applied externally for parasites; Fresh leaves are mixed with corn-cob or Amorphophallus paeonifolium to treat asthma.
* Iran: Infusion of the dried leaf is applied externally as an insect repellent; ointments made from crushed leaves are used for baldness, dermatitis and infectious ulceration and as a pediculicide.
* Mexico (Southeastern): Among the Ancient Maya, Nicotiana was considered a sacred plant, closely associated with deities of earth and sky, and used for both visionary and therapeutic ends. The contemporary Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya of Highland Chiapas (Mexico) are bearers of this ethnobotanical inheritance, preserving a rich and varied tradition of Nicotiana use and folklore. The entire tobacco plant is viewed as a primordial medicine and a powerful botanical ‘‘helper’’ or ‘‘protector.’’ Depending on the condition to be treated, whole Nicotiana leaves used are used alone or in combination with other herbs in the preparation of various medicinal plasters and teas. In its most common form, fresh or ‘‘green’’ leaves are ground with slaked lime to produce an intoxicating oral snuff that serves as both a protective and therapeutic agent.
* United States: Extract of N. tabacum is taken orally to treat tiredness, ward off diseases, and quiet fear.
* Tanzania: Leaves of Nicotiana tabacum are placed in the vagina to stimulate labor.
Tobacco has been used as an antispasmodic, a diuretic, an emetic, an expectorant, a sedative, and a sialagogue, and in homeopathy.
Tobacco has a long history of use by medical herbalists as a relaxant, though since it is a highly addictive drug it is seldom employed internally or externally at present. The leaves act as antispasmodics, discutients, diuretics, emetics, expectorants, irritants, sedatives and sialagogues. Wet tobacco leaves are applied externally in the treatment of rheumatic swelling, skin diseases and stings, as the active ingredients can be absorbed through the skin. They are also a certain cure for painful piles. A homeopathic remedy made from the dried leaves is used in the treatment of nausea and travel sickness. Some other activities reported for Nicotiana tabacum are: Analgesic activity, anesthetic activity, angiogenesis inhibition, antibacterial activity, anti convulsant activities, anti estrogenic effect, antifungal activity, antiglaucomic activity, antioxidant activity, antistress effect, antiviral activity, aromatase inhibition, arrhythmogenic effect, carcinogenic activity, bronchoconstrictor activity, bupivacaine kinetics,
The regions that have histories of use of the plant include:
* Brazil: Leaves are heated and the juice is squeezed out, mixed with ash from bark of Theobroma subircanum or other Theobroma species to make an intoxicating snuff. The leaf juice is taken orally to induce vomiting and narcosis.
* Colombia: Fresh leaf is used as poultice over boils and infected wounds; the leaves are crushed with oil from palms and used as hair treatment to prevent baldness.
* Cuba: Extract of the leaf is taken orally to treat dysmenorrheal.
* East Africa: Dried leaves of Nicotiana tabacum and Securinega virosa are mixed into a paste and used externally to destroy worms in sores.
* Ecuador: Leaf juice is used for indisposition, chills and snake bites and to treat pulmonary ailments.
* Fiji: Fresh root is taken orally for asthma and indigestion; fresh root is applied ophthalmically as drops for bloodshot eyes and other problems; seed is taken orally for rheumatism and to treat hoarsness.
* Guatemala: Leaves are applied externally by adults for myasis, headache and wounds; hot water extract of the dried leaf is applied externally for ring worms, fungal diseases of the skin, wounds, ulcers, bruises, sores, mouth lesions, stomartitis and mucosa; leaf is orally taken for kidney diseases.
* Haiti: Decoction of dried leaf is taken orally for bronchitis and pneumonia.
* India: Juice of Securinega leucopyrus is mixed with the dried leaves of Nicotiana tabacum and applied externally for parasites; Fresh leaves are mixed with corn-cob or Amorphophallus paeonifolium to treat asthma.
* Iran: Infusion of the dried leaf is applied externally as an insect repellent; ointments made from crushed leaves are used for baldness, dermatitis and infectious ulceration and as a pediculicide.
* Mexico (Southeastern): Among the Ancient Maya, Nicotiana was considered a sacred plant, closely associated with deities of earth and sky, and used for both visionary and therapeutic ends. The contemporary Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya of Highland Chiapas (Mexico) are bearers of this ethnobotanical inheritance, preserving a rich and varied tradition of Nicotiana use and folklore. The entire tobacco plant is viewed as a primordial medicine and a powerful botanical ‘‘helper’’ or ‘‘protector.’’ Depending on the condition to be treated, whole Nicotiana leaves used are used alone or in combination with other herbs in the preparation of various medicinal plasters and teas. In its most common form, fresh or ‘‘green’’ leaves are ground with slaked lime to produce an intoxicating oral snuff that serves as both a protective and therapeutic agent.
* United States: Extract of N. tabacum is taken orally to treat tiredness, ward off diseases, and quiet fear.
* Tanzania: Leaves of Nicotiana tabacum are placed in the vagina to stimulate labor.
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