Organic tobacco has a Latin name, Nicotiana tabacum. This plant comes from North America and South America. Organic tobacco is better than the artificial one because it grows without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, and other substances. The leaves of this tree are often used as raw materials of cigarettes, either by a pipe or rolled in the form of cigarettes or cigars. People always see tobacco as a negative plant because of this use as the ingredient of cigarette.

However, there are not many people knowing about the health benefits of organic tobacco. Its leaves can be chewed or swallowed or stuck to some parts of the body, and some are sucking powder tobacco through the nose to get the benefits.

Here are some surprising health benefits of organic tobacco.

1. Reduce The Risk of Obesity

Nicotine in organic tobacco suppresses appetite. According to a study published in July 2011 in the Journal of Physiology & Behavior, nicotine can make us not want to eat for a long time. So, it is good for losing some weights and diet.

As an appetite-suppressant, nicotine appears to affect the work of a brain element called the hypothalamus, at least as evident in the studied rats, a study by University of Yale researchers published June 10 in the journal Science found. It is the main reason why organic tobacco can reduce the risk of obesity.

2. Anti-inflammatory

According to the research by Professor Mario Pezzoti who is a scientist from the University of Verona Europe, organic tobacco has an important role as an inflammatory medicine. Substances produced from it is a type of cytokine that is a protein that is able to stimulate or activate the immune cells. This is made with the treatment and strict supervision using modern technology.

3. Much Safer For The Body

Organic tobacco is safer than artificial tobacco. It contains more nutrients because it is freshly picked from the plant and not added more ingredients that can be dangerous for the body. In addition, the soil, fertilizer, and the water that are used to grow this plant make it more nutritious and healthy.

4. Make Body More Relaxed

We already know that when we use organic tobacco, it will make the body and brain more relaxed. It contains dopamine (throughout the body, including the brain), acetylcholine and norepinephrine that are also stimulated directly. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, those that suffer from mental disorders such as ADHD/ADD, schizophrenia, and other disorders may get positive effects from the organic tobacco.

5. Prevent Parkinson and Alzheimer Disease

Organic tobacco contains nicotine that will accelerate the movement of the muscle that can prevent Parkinson disease. In addition, it can up-regulate telomerase and suppress apoptosis which is the main cause of Alzheimer disease. The dose of nicotine has a short-term normalization effect on electrical activity in the brain which is good for preventing Parkinson and Alzheimer disease.

6. Improve The Immune of Body

Organic tobacco contains anti-inflammatory effects at multiple levels, from T-cells through CNS vagus/’cholinergic anti-inflammatory’ pathway. In addition, it can fight against some diseases, such as asthma, allergies, ulcerative colitis, IBD, colon cancer, aphthous ulcers, arthritis, pre-eclampsia, endotoxemia, polymicrobial sepsis that happen because of the bad immune in the body.

7. Overcome Headache and Flu

The smell of fresh organic tobacco leaves is able to cure chronic headaches. In addition, fresh organic tobacco leaves or powder can be chewed in the mouth to cure the flu and prevent the virus that causes it.

8. Maintain Skin Health

Based on the research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, organic tobacco has compounds that can give some benefits for the beauty treatment, especially skin. In this research, organic tobacco is used to rejuvenate the skin. According to the result, tobacco has a content that can produce collagen that is like human collagen. Collagen has some functions that are very important for the skin because collagen is the main protein in the skin.

In addition, it turns out tobacco can overcome skin diseases such as rancid, scabies, yaws (framboesia), eczema, and so forth.

To use organic tobacco for maintaining skin health, we should take a tobacco leaf and chop it, then let it dry for a while. After that, take a bucket of water to make it wet. Then, stick the wet tobacco leaf to the skin that has a problem in order to kill the bacteria in that skin.

9. Eliminate HIV / AIDS Virus

Organic tobacco can also produce a protein medicine for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, called griffithsin. HIV is a virus that infects cells of the human immune system. This griffithsin protein stops the formation of HIV virus in the body.

10. Heal Wounds From Insect and Poisonous Snake Bites

According to the research, it is believed that nicotine in organic tobacco will help relieve pain and help pull out toxins from some dangerous animals. In addition, it can heal wounds from poisonous snake bites such as cobra that can cause death if we don’t treat it as soon as possible.

To do it, after the poison is sucked out, we need to chew the leaves and then place them on the wound and tie with a bandage. This method can also be used when bitten by insects.

11. Protect Body From Free Radicals

Organic tobacco contains numerous compounds emitted as gases and condensed tar particles, many of them being oxidants and prooxidants, capable of producing free radicals thus enhancing lipid peroxidation in biological membranes. Vitamin E, vitamin C, B-carotene, and selenium are involved in the overall cellular anti-oxidant defense against deleterious effects of reactive oxygen species.

12. Relieves Pain Especially Toothache

The leaves of organic tobacco contain many compounds that are good for relieving pain, especially toothache. The texture is very crunchy, so it is very good for teeth. To do it, we need to chew organic tobacco leaves that are freshly picked together with lime and betel nut. In addition, chewing this tobacco leaf can cure swollen gum problems and sore throat. We can use this leaf as a natural toothpaste.

13. Anticancer Protein

Tobacco is not always a negative connotation as a cause of cancer, it can also produce the anti-cancer protein that is useful for cancer patients. This is based on the result of the research from Dr. Arief Budi Witarto Meng. He is a researcher at the Center for Research Biotechnology Institute of Sciences Indonesia (LIPI). Thus, we can found the health benefits of organic tobacco now.

In addition, according to the research from Dr. Khalid El Sayed, the Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at ULM, the leaf, and flower of organic tobacco give some benefits. They contain high amounts of the key flavor ingredient called cembranoids. Surprisingly, cembranoid ingredients of tobacco show a good result as anticancer agents. It can also prevent the high incidence and death rate of breast and prostate cancer types.

14. Prevent Tuberculosis (TBC)

According to Saleh Naser, a professor of microbiology and molecular biology who has been in the research for organic tobacco and nicotine from the University of Central Florida (UCF), nicotine in organic tobacco gives better results than other compounds in order to stop tuberculosis (TBC).

It is not possible in a follow-up study, a person suffering from tuberculosis will use nicotine in a blood vessel or swallow a nicotine capsule to prevent future tuberculosis.

More Organic Tobacco Uses

Here are more organic tobacco uses :

1. Control blood sugar level
2. Overcome digestive disorders
3. Increase the process of wound healing
4. Prevent damage to cartilage and joints
5. Increase insulin sensitivity and prevent diabetes

Side Effects of Organic Tobacco

Here are some side effects of organic tobacco.

1. Addictive

The smell and the taste of organic tobacco leaf can make us addictive. It is very dangerous because we can’t quit from consuming this. There is nicotine in this leaf that will affect some damages to the body if consumed too much.

2. Damage Lung, Heart, and Pregnancy

Like we already know, tobacco can damage lung and heart. The most dangerous one is creating lung or heart cancer because of the nicotine contained in this plant. In addition, The pregnant mother should not consume or use it because it can cause miscarriage and other dangerous damages.

That’s all surprising health benefits of organic tobacco that we don’t know. However, there are still some side effects, so we need to take cautious about it. Stay fit and keep the healthy lifestyle.