Medicinal tobacco

Long before tobacco was abused as an addictive, disease-causing drug, it was a medicine. Tobacco is one of the oldest sacred medicines of the indigenous people of the new world. It was and still is used today in both ceremonial and medicinal applications by native people.
When the Spaniards arrived upon what is now Haiti, they found the Caribe people using a medicine in their "tabacos," or steam-bath huts. The Caribes called the herb tabaco after the sweat-lodges in which they used it. The name has stuck to this day. In Spanish, it is still tabaco, and in English, we know it as tobacco. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Botanically, the plant that we know as tobacco is called Nicotiana tabacum. This is the same tropical species that the Caribes were using, and out of the about 70 species of Nicotiana, this is the primary species grown today for commercial use in the tobacco industry.
I would like to be very clear on one point before I go any further with this article. I am generally opposed to the recreational use of tobacco products, especially among young people. Cigarettes and chewing tobacco are the most addictive and damaging, and the consequences to using these products can be devastating to one's health.
If you have ever had the opportunity to participate in a Native-American sweat-lodge, or temazcalli, then you are familiar with the ceremonial use of tobacco. The herb is sprinkled into a fire or a copal burner as an offering to The Creator before entering the temazcalli, and sometimes also when coming out of the lodge. The herb is also sprinkled in a circle, or burned around an area that will be used for ceremonial purposes, such as singing, dancing, or praying.
Tobacco has many common names, depending on the species and the people that use it. For example, the Aztec or Nàhuatl name for N. tabacum is picetl or tenexiet. Here in our area I have found two wild species of Nicotiana. One is a small annual species, N. repanda, commonly known as Fiddle-leaf tobacco, or tabaco cimarròn. Another wild tobacco in these parts is N. glauca, or tree tobacco, a hardy perennial species. It also goes by the name of tabaco cimarròn, wipana, palo gigante, hierba del gigante, and gigante, probably due to its size. In Nàhuatl, this plant is called nexticxihuitl, which means "hoja ceniza," and xiutecuitlanextli, which means "yerba para curar empacho."
All species of Nicotiana, whether wild or domesticated, contain powerful, and in many cases toxic, alkaloids, including nicotine and anabasine. Some species are more toxic than others. As a matter of fact, you can even brew a strong tobacco tea and spray it on your plants to kill certain insects.
When tobacco is burned, mutagenic and carninogenic compounds are formed in the resulting smoke. Commercial tobacco, such as is found in cigarettes, may produce even higher concentrations of these dangerous compounds, due to the chemical additives that have been incorporated into the tobacco. Extreme caution should be exercised when using any type of tobacco, and it should never be ingested or inhaled.
In Mexico, N. tabacum, or common tobacco, is most commonly used as a medicine in the Mexican states of Guanajuato, Michoacàn, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, and Oaxaca. It is used externally, with regularity, to treat skin disorders including erysipelas, wounds, bruises and contusions, abrasions, burns, boils, rashes, dermatitis, insect bites, mange and fungus, herpes, and sabañones, a skin condition of the feet and legs. It is also used to treat tetanus and many orthopaedic problems, including broken bones, back sprains, broken or sprained ankles, skeletal pain, strains, arthritis, and rheumatism. Other uses include treating headache, epilepsy, convulsions, toothache, and vomiting, whitening the teeth, and extracting insects from the ear. The Pima Bajo, Tarahumara, and Warijo people all apply the fresh leaves directly to the forehead to treat headaches. Tabaco is also used to treat cultural syndromes, including aire, susto, mal de aire, empacho, aire en los ojos, asombro, y para ahumar a los espantados. The Mazatecos use tabaco in their cleansing rites, or limpias. The Totonacos, who call tabaco "us kut," also use it in their healing rites. The Huichol people call tobaco "macuchi bawaraka," and use it in all their rituals and ceremonies. They also believe that by smoking it, they will be protected from rattlesnakes, scorpions, and centepedes.
N. glauca, one of our local wild species, is commonly applied externally to treat arthritic pain and inflammation. Sometimes it is applied in its fresh form or as a tincture, after having steeped in alcohol for a few days. It is also commonly used for headache, as well as migraines, rheumatism, toothache, inflammation and swelling, wounds, and for facial problems. In Sonora and Zacatecas, this tabaco is used to treat cough, asthma, and pulmonary disorders in general. Other typical uses for this plant throughout Mexico include dental problems in general, bruises, burns, minor wounds, skin infections, boils and rashes, scrapes, repelling and killing lice and ticks, and treating localized pain, dizziness, and hemorrhoids.
That will cover it for this issue. As always, consult with your physician before using any herbal remedy. For questions or comments on this column, I can be reached via e-mail at glorioso@netscorp.net. For more information on herbal medicine in South Texas, go to www.laredos.com and click on The Medicine Man column or the Medicine Man Archives for a collection of previous articles.