Indian tobacco

Indiantobacco, also known as inflated lobelia, is a plant whose parts growing above the ground are used to make medicine. Indian tobacco is used for respiratory problems including asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough and shortness of breath in newborns. Some people use Indian tobacco as a sedative to promote relaxation. Other people use Indian tobacco to stimulate sweating. Indian tobacco is applied to the skin for muscle pain, rheumatoid arthritis, bruises, sprains, insect bites, contact with poison ivy and bark lichen. In the industrial manufacturing sector, Indian tobacco is used in cough medicines and counter-irritants. Some smoking cessation products contain Indian tobacco. However, recent studies have concluded that Indian tobacco does not make smoking cessation products more effective.

How does Indian tobacco work?

Native American tobacco contains chemicals that may thin phlegm and make it easier to cough up phlegm. These chemicals may also make breathing easier, especially for asthmatics. One chemical contained in Indian tobacco has similar effects to nicotine.

How effective is Indian tobacco?

Indian tobacco may be ineffective in supporting smoking cessation. There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of Indian tobacco for asthma, bronchitis and coughs, and when applied to the skin for sore muscles, bruises, sprains, insect bites, contact with poison ivy and bark lichen. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of Indian tobacco in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Indian tobacco is not considered safe and harmless for most people when taken orally. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, dizziness, tremors and more serious effects. An overdose can cause many toxic effects including sweating, convulsions, rapid heartbeat, very low blood pressure, collapse, coma and death. Ingestion of 0.6 to 1 gram of the leaves is considered toxic and 4 grams could be fatal. Not enough is known about the safety of Indian tobacco applied to the skin.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Oral ingestion of Indian tobacco is not safe for anyone. There are particular concerns during pregnancy as Indian tobacco can cause severe vomiting.

Gastrointestinal problems including stomach ulcers, Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, infections and others: Indian tobacco could irritate the digestive tract.

Heart disease: Indian tobacco appears to affect the heart. Higher doses have a stronger effect.

Interactions

Care should be taken when combining Indian tobacco with the following medications:

Lithium

Indian tobacco could have a dehydrating (diuretic) effect. The intake of Indian tobacco can impair the body's excretion of lithium, which could result in increased lithium levels and serious side effects. For this reason, it is important to consult your doctor before using Indian tobacco if you are taking lithium. The lithium dosage may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of Indian tobacco depends on various factors such as age, health status and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for Indian tobacco. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

1. McChargue DE, Collins FL Jr, Cohen LM. Effect of non-nicotinic moist snuff replacement and lobeline on withdrawal symptoms during 48-h smokeless tobacco deprivation. Nicotine Tob Res 2002;4:199-200.
2. Stead LF, Hughes JR. Lobeline for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;2:CD000124.