Please don’t get us wrong, we’re not trying to make any anti-smoking campaigns here, but we do have to take a look at some facts about tobacco here. Firstly, all of the plant’s parts, especially its leaves, contain anabasine and nicotine alkaloids. And both of these compounds are toxic by the way. Mimicking the effects of acetylcholine, a naturally-occurring molecule in charge of stimulating muscle tissue, nicotine acts primarily on the autonomic nervous system. If eaten, the tobacco plant can be fatal. A dose of 50 mg can cause respiratory failure and general paralysis. Smaller doses of nicotine can cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, nausea, and dizziness. One cigarette contains about 3 mg of nicotine, making up between 0.6 and 3% of dry weight of tobacco, and gives a sense of alertness and well-being. By “tickling” the pleasure receptors, nicotine is also highly addictive and causes withdrawal symptoms in smokers if they try to quit, or have run out.
Nicotine in liquid form has an oily texture, a yellowish color and turns brown on exposure with air. A tablespoon full can kill a full-grown man and even skin-contact is enough to cause symptoms of poisoning, such as dizziness, elevated blood pressure and seizures. This liquid nicotine is used in the controversial e-cigs and as insecticide. An estimated 5 to 6 million people die annually from tobacco related causes. Even so, tobacco is the most widely grown commercial non-food plant in the world.