Cigarettes are blamed for numerous minor and serious health problems, including cancer, and medical research backs up the claims. While cigarettes were once popular and “cool,” they’re becoming more and more shunned in modern society, with many cities instituting smoking bans in public places. Cigarettes and cigars are addictive based on the nicotine they contain, and millions of smokers have had long, hard battles with quitting, that many never win.
With everything there is bad about tobacco, however, is there anything good? Does tobacco have any legitimate, positive medicinal uses? The Native Americans thought so, as they commonly used tobacco for medicine and healing. Let’s take a look at some of the past and present medicinal uses for tobacco.
Pain Relief
Native Americans used to grow tobacco plants and dry the leaves, and they used the leaves in a variety of ways. They believed tobacco was an effective pain reliever for things like earaches, toothaches, and minor injuries. By crushing the leaves and creating a poultice, they would apply the tobacco to painful and inflamed areas of the skin. They used it to soothe skin rashes, rheumatism, and eczema, and they put it inside the mouth to alleviate tooth pain.
Snake and Insect Bites
Native Americans also used tobacco to treat rattlesnake and insect bites. They felt that a poultice of tobacco leaves, when applied to a bit, would help relieve the pain and inflammation, as well as draw out more of the poison.
Asthma and Colds
Native Americans and medical professionals used to use tobacco to treat chronic asthma, because it was believed that tobacco’s calming properties would help relax the lungs and airways. Native Americans would also smoke to cure their colds, because the tobacco would help to clear out their nasal passageways.
Toothpaste
Native Americans used to rub powdered tobacco on their teeth to clean them, and in the past it was also readily believed that tobacco could help prevent cavities. Some people across the world still use tobacco as a toothpaste or toothpaste ingredient.
Muscle Relaxation
Tobacco is found to have mild muscle-relaxing properties. When it is smoked, people’s muscles can relax, which can help a wide variety of conditions and discomforts.
Constipation Relief
Small amounts of tobacco can help promote bowel health and regularity, and it can also help cure constipation. The tobacco is effective in this way when smoked. It can also be used to create a suppository that works as an effective enema for relieving severe constipation.
Mental Health
There are also links to tobacco and mental health. People with mental health disorders are twice as likely to smoke cigarettes as those without, and this could be because of the calming effects tobacco can have. Tobacco has a short-term effect of calming a person and regulating electrical activity in the brain, which can bring temporary relief to people who suffer from things like schizophrenia, ADD, ADHD, and other mental disorders. In small doses, it has also been shown to help improve the cognitive abilities of people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Jessica Smith is the moderator for green smoke reviews. In the last few years she has learned a great deal about medicinal herbs and their benefits.
Medicinal Uses For Tobacco
