Tobacco, the wonder plant

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As suggested by Smoking Scot in comments, here is Nisakiman’s elegant idea for a ‘smokers welcome here’ image:

It comes from an idea a long time ago which I seem to recall was started by either Frank Davis or Junican. I’d like to be more specific but I’m afraid I was very, very drunk at the time. I’d actually written two of the stories in the latest Underdog Anthology around that time and entirely forgotten about them… yeah, pretty drunk.

Tobacco is currently villified by the Righteous and their indoctinated dancing clowns of hate but the original inhabitants of America (is that the latest PC term? Please forgive me for not caring) knew a lot more about this plant. They used it for more than just a sly puff at the back of the wigwam sheds.

Modern science has been gradually catching up. Well, the discovery of vitamin B3, Niacin, aka nicotinic acid, and its derivation from nicotine happened a long time ago. There is much more though.

Tipped by Sam in email – Tobacco flowers have a yeast-killer in them.

I had seen this go by on Twitter along with another claim that tobacco may have anti-cancer properties (now there’s a twist, eh?) but no antismoker worth their bile would accept a cancer treatment that came from the tobacco plant, naturally.

This yeast-killing antibiotic (the term is usually used to mean an antibacterial in my world but we’ll let that slide) is vey interesting. It works on Candida albicans, a ‘mostly harmless’ yeast that can still cause thrush and other, not necessarily fatal but really annoying infections. I wonder if it works on other yeast/fungi? Athlete’s foot is really hard to permanently dispose of. Ringworm is an evil fucker and there is speculation (not proof) that seborrhaic dermatitis has a yeast as a causative agent. They are all hard or impossible to cure at  the moment. Should we rub some tobacco flowers on it and see?

The article talks about the ornamental versions of Nicotiana but you know they have to be so, so careful these days. Ornamental tobacco is no use for smoking but as with all these domesticated things it’s a toned down, weaker version of the wild one that has to survive with no watering or plant food or weeding or pest control.

I’m betting real tobacco flowers are way more effective than the domesticated, pampered ones. These plants are quite capable of looking after themselves. In many ways.

Tobacco has multiple medicinal properties. Who knew? Pretty much everyone before the white man’s Puritan horde decided they didn’t like it. Hating tobacco is racist now. There’s one to have fun with.

I look forward to the first tales of antismokers refusing niacin, the new anttfungals and the new anticancer drugs because they come from tobacco. You can watch them suffer and die while watching me not care.

They have no sympathy for me. Expect none in return.

15 thoughts on “Tobacco, the wonder plant”

  1. That tobacco leaves,especially a poultice thereof, are a cure for multiple and divers conditions was well known to physicians even into the ‘modern’ era. I expect Rose has a library of links to victoriana textbooks which list it as something akin to a wunderdrug.
    Problem was always it was , logically as are all medicines, just as an effective killer as curer. Even ‘recipes’ which called for the making of a poultice from a single cigarette could prove deadly. Neither the summer time blues nor nicotine poisoning are curable 😦

    Liked by 1 person

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    • But I like this one a lot and taking Monardes at his word, I used it as first aid after a very nasty, painful and very bloody gardening injury. Luckily I had green tobacco leaves to hand.

      “This text is from John Frampton’s translation of Nicholas Monardes. It was published in 1577 under the title Joyfull Newes our of the Newe Founde Worlde”

      Of the Tabaco and of His Greate Vertues

      “THIS herb, which commonly is called tobacco, is an herb be of much antiquity, and known amongst the Indians, and in especially among them of the new Spain, and after that those countries were gotten by our Spaniards, being taught of the Indians, they did profit themselves of those things, in the Wounds which they received in their Wars, healing themselves therewith, to the great benefit of them”
      http://archive.tobacco.org/History/monardes.html

      Needless to say, I had previously read the scientific studies that backed him up

      Nicotine Accelerates Angiogenesis and Wound Healing in Genetically Diabetic Mice
      2002

      “From a historical point of view, leaves or extracts of tobacco plants have been used in the management of wound treatment by shamans and native healers.”

      “To conclude, this paper is the first to demonstrate that nicotine enhances wound healing in genetically diabetic mice. The effects on wound healing are, in part, related to the stimulation of angiogenesis by nicotine, an effect which is mediated by nAChRs. Therapeutic stimulation of these receptors may represent a novel approach in the treatment of wounds, particularly in diabetic patients.”
      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850685/

      Nicotine, Chili Peppers Offer Post-Surgery Pain Relief
      2007

      “Nicotine patches and the hot pepper-derivative capsaicin both provided pain relief following surgery, according to two studies presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ annual meeting, which concludes Wednesday”
      “The researchers noted that other than the reported nausea, nicotine apparently relieved pain without the narcotic side effects associated with morphine”
      https: //abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4509044&page=1

      It stopped the bleeding, got rid of the pain and my smashed thumb healed surprisingly quickly.

      Liked by 2 people

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          • Thanks. Just think how much better if they just let people smoke. Oh, and what happened to the whole “nicotine slows healing” thing. I guess it only slows healing if you enjoy it.

            Liked by 1 person

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            • BUT

              Apart from nicotine in tobacco leaves used externally to heal wounds, there’s a lot of other stuff out there.
              It seems that when you put lot of raw nicotine in drinking water it can start growing new blood vessels anywhere.

              Nicotine Accelerates Angiogenesis and Wound Healing in Genetically Diabetic Mice

              “From a historical point of view, leaves or extracts of tobacco plants have been used in the management of wound treatment by shamans and native healers”

              “Conversely, apart from these isolated reports and historical anecdotes, there has been a consensus in the medical and scientific community that tobacco use impairs wound healing.

              Indeed, a recently published clinical trial demonstrates that preoperative smoking intervention significantly reduces the occurrence of postoperative wound-related complications in smokers undergoing elective surgery.
              This study would appear to conflict with our observations.”
              https: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850685/

              Nicotine Stimulates New Blood Vessel Formation; Also Promotes Tumor Growth And Atherosclerosis
              July 31, 2001
              Stanford University School of Medicine

              “The scientists, led by John P. Cooke, MD, PhD, tested levels of nicotine similar to those that would be found in a moderate smoker puffing about 20 cigarettes each day. They emphasize, however, that it’s difficult to directly compare nicotine’s effects with those caused by tobacco smoke, which contains thousands of additional components. The results of the study are published in the July issue of Nature Medicine.

              In a series of experiments, the researchers found that nicotine could enhance new blood vessel growth in mice whose hind limbs were artificially starved of oxygen. They also found that lung cancer cells implanted into mice grew more quickly when the mice consumed nicotine in their drinking water Mice susceptible to developing plaque in the arteries of their hearts also experienced more rapid plaque growth when exposed to nicotine than mice who were not exposed.”
              https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/07/010730075130.htm

              “We expected to see that nicotine impairs angiogenesis because it’s known that smoking impairs endothelial function,” (Glantz) said Chris Heeschen, the first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular medicine in Cooke’s laboratory. “But nicotine is not smoking.”

              The multiple faces of nicotine and its implications in tissue and wound repair.
              2009

              Abstract
              “Nicotine, one of the thousands of chemicals in cigarette smoke has a highly debated effect on cell proliferation and tissue healing. Recent studies documented its pro-angiogenesis effects by stimulating endothelial cell alpha7-non-neronal nicotinic acetyl choline receptors (alpha7 N-nACHR). It is well known that individuals who smoke or have diabetes experience impaired wound healing although for different reasons. This review evaluates several current studies relating to nicotine’s ability to mediate cellular activation, migration and angiogenesis in attempts to correlate these data with nicotine’s ability to repair wounds in ischaemic tissue. While its beneficial effects are still under investigation, important findings regarding nicotine’s acceleration of atherosclerosis, tumor angiogenesis, cell proliferation e and resistance to apoptosis put its systemic use into question.

              Based on the good and bad sides of nicotine, it is recommended to restrict its utility to local applications”
              https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19492997

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            • Thank goodness we have the good sense to burn the whole lot, nicotine included just as our ancestors did.
              See below for all those anticarcinogens that TC never seem to mention.

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  2. The PC term you’re looking for is “Native American”.

    Or a more recent variant that does away with the implied slight that “native” can be interpreted as “ignorant” or “savages” is:

    “First Nation American”.

    It seems the first nation term is more popular in Australia, probably in response to the disparaging slang term “Abo”.

    And no forgiveness necessary for not caring. I’ve been on the receiving end of school children shouting “whitey, whitey” with giggles and indulgent parents looking on. (It was in Rosehall, Guyana where folk with my colour scheme are – or were – a big fat zero).

    Unsurprisingly I wasn’t especially offended; simply stating the obvious, though they could have reduced the volume somewhat!

    Thank you for bunging up Nisakiman’s contribution. I like the whole lot, so much so that I nicked them to help construct this:

    http://mullingscot.com/cigarette-pack-inserts-uk-packs.html?

    I know Kevin was tickled that I’d seen a way to use his. Bucko’s is sideways, but still looks good IMO.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Is “crotch rot” fungal, bacterial or yeasty? Every time I think I have it beaten a sweaty day will bring it back. I wonder if it is genetic and the reason Scotsmen wear kilts.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Pingback: Wave The Magic Wand | Frank Davis

  5. Neither the summer time blues nor nicotine poisoning are curable

    I’d have to dispute that, it’s all a matter of degree.

    Green tobacco sickness (on which nicotine patches were based)

    “GTS occurs when tobacco workers hand-harvest, cut, or load tobacco plants, usually in the early morning or after a rainfall when tobacco plants are covered with moisture.

    GTS occurs through skin exposure to dissolved nicotine from tobacco leaves. Symptoms of GTS include weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal cramps, breathing difficulty, abnormal temperature, pallor, diarrhoea, chills, fluctuations in blood pressure or heart rate, and increased perspiration and salivation.
    The onset of the illness is three to 17 hours after exposure and the duration of illness is one to three days.

    Initial treatment includes cessation of work, change of clothing, showering, fluid intake, and rest. In more extreme cases, intravenous rehydration, anti-emetics, and dimenhydrinate are administered.”
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1763894/

    Despite replicating the experiment done by neversmokers Jarvik and Rose – “We put the tobacco on our skin and waited to see what would happen,” Jarvik recalled. “Our heart rates increased, adrenaline began pumping, all the things that happen to smokers.” that led to the marketing of nicotine patches as a supposed smoking cure, I have not yet managed to get nicotine poisoning, apart from many years ago when I actually tried nicotine patches and got a massive disturbance of vision.

    Many years later, I discovered that Grandad had experienced much the same thing.

    A Billion Lies

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  7. 2006
    RODGMAN A.; PERFETTI T.A.

    “With respect to cigarette MSS, certainly the “danger is in the dose” for any MSS component tested singularly to be tumorigenic. But is the level of any of these MSS PAHs high enough to be of concern to smokers?

    The information herein presented indicates that over the last five decades the following has occurred: 1) The per cigarette yields of these four PAHs have decreased substantially, 2) compared to CSC or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “tar”, their per cigarette yields have also decreased to a point that they may be below any significance biologically, and 3) the specific tumorigenicity in mouse skin-painting studies of the CSC has decreased. These are the three criteria originally proposed to define the “less hazardous” cigarette. Actually, criterion 1) was first directed only at B[ a ]P. Previous studies highlighted the concern that some regulatory bodies had in attempting to understand why long cancer and other forms of cancer seemed more prevalent in smokers.

    But cigarette smoking alone could not reconcile the evidence. Social, ethnic, environmental, and economic factors are also very important in understanding the entire biological effect. In fact, the level of B[ a ]P in CSC could only explain about 2% of its specific tumorigenicity observed in skinpainted mice and the combination of the levels of all the known tumorigenic PAHs in CSC could only explain about 3% of its tumorigenicity.

    Despite an 18-month study in the late 1950s, the search for a “supercarcinogen” in MSS and CSC to explain the observed biological effects was unsuccessful. In addition, the exceptional study on MSS PAHs by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) personnel in the 1970s indicated no “supercarcinogen” was present. Only recently has the concept of complex mixtures in relation to the understanding of the complexity of carcinogenesis taken hold. Perhaps the reason why MSS is less tumorigenic than expected in humans is because of the presence of other MSS components that inhibit or prevent tumorigenesis. For example, it is well known that MSS contains numerous anticarcinogens present in quantifies significantly greater than those of the PAHs of concern. When one reviews the history of these four PAHs in MSS or CSC it is clear that many unanswered questions remain.

    “Despite an 18-month study in the late 1950s, the search for a “supercarcinogen” in MSS and CSC to explain the observed biological effects was unsuccessful. In addition, the exceptional study on MSS PAHs by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) personnel in the 1970s indicated no “supercarcinogen” was present. Only recently has the concept of complex mixtures in relation to the understanding of the complexity of carcinogenesis taken hold.

    Perhaps the reason why MSS is less tumorigenic than expected in humans is because of the presence of other MSS components that inhibit or prevent tumorigenesis. For example, it is well known that MSS contains numerous anticarcinogens present in quantifies significantly greater than those of the PAHs of concern. When one reviews the history of these four PAHs in MSS or CSC it is clear that many unanswered questions remain.”
    https://www.coresta.org/abstracts/composition-cigarette-smoke-chronology-studies-four-polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons-2245

    Rodgman points out all those anticarcinogens in tobacco smoke that the EPA neglected to mention.

    Environmental tobacco smoke.
    Rodgman A.
    1992

    Abstract

    “In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a “draft” assessment of ETS and lung cancer in adults and respiratory disorders in children. Relying on weak and inconclusive epidemiological data, the supposed similarity between ETS and MS, the presence of “known or suspected carcinogens” in MS and by extrapolation in ETS, and the “biological plausibility” of an adverse relationship between ETS and health, the EPA recommended that ETS be classified as a “Group A (known human) carcinogen.”

    Fundamental physical and quantitative chemical differences among ETS, MS, and SS and human exposure to each smoke were disregarded: The three are not equivalent nor is ETS exposure a quantitative variant of cigarette smoking. A substantial difference in retention percentage overlays the huge dosimetric difference between exposures.
    As a result, the “dosage” of ETS retained is miniscule relative to MS.

    Also, conclusions reached by the EPA and the use of tenuous relationships as bases for Group A classification are unwarranted because of failure to consider the data upon which the “tumorigenicity” of the ETS components was based, questions on the presence and/or levels of these components in MS, and data indicating that a 25- to 30-fold decrease of a high-level dose of MS or MS condensate diminished the effects observed in bioassays from pronounced to zero, i.e., a threshold was demonstrated.

    Finally, EPA overlooked the more than 100 tobacco smoke components known to inhibit the tumorigenic action of many of the listed “tumorigens.”
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1293640

    So much for Secondhand Smoke.

    The Chemical Components of Tobacco and Tobacco Smoke, Second Edition
    Authors Alan Rodgman and Thomas A. Perfetti

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