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TOBACCO NICOTIANA TABACUM A slight infusion of the fresh gathered leaves vomits roughly. Tobacco is an annual plant growing to about five feet (1.5 m) with large, dusky green leaves and pretty trumpet-shaped flowers of a reddish colour. Where to find it: Cultivated throughout the world. It can be grown in the garden, but does best in warmer regions. It is a native of South America. Flowering time: Midsummer. Astrology: It is a hot martial plant. Medicinal virtues: It is a good medicine for rheumatic pains. An ointment made of the leaves, with hog's lard, is used for painful and inflamed piles. The distilled oil dropped on cotton cures the toothache if applied. The powdered leaves, or a decoction of them, kills lice and other vermin. The smoke of Tobacco injected in the manner of a clyster is of efficacy in stoppages of the bowels, for destroying small worms and for the recovery of persons apparently drowned. Modern uses: Tobacco was a medicinal herb of the American Indians who taught the Spaniards how to use it. All parts of the plant contain nicotine which is toxic to the body. It is narcotic, sedative and emetic. The powdered leaves used as a snuff irritate the lining of the nose and cause sneezing. An ointment made from the leaves by simmering them in wax has been used as an application to ulcers and tumours, but there is a danger of the nicotine being absorbed through the skin and causing serious poisoning. Tobacco is not used in modern herbal practice. Smoking is associated with many diseases, including the two main causes of death, cancer and heart disease. |