Nicotine questions

Tobacco was recognised by Europeans as a medicine soon after it was first imported from the New World, and tobacco smoke was used by western medical practitioners as a tool against cold and drowsiness. During the early 19th century the practice fell into decline, when it was discovered that the principal active agent in tobacco smoke, nicotine, is poisonous. A tobacco smoke enema was employed by the indigenous peoples of North America to stimulate respiration, injecting the smoke with a rectal tube

Nicotine is a powerful neurotoxin to insects. Many plants other than tobacco contain it, however the concentration of nicotine in tobacco is exceptionally high. Even though some species have evolved the ability to feed on tobacco, it remains relatively easy to grow, being unpalatable to most species. In some places, tobacco became an invasive weed.

Green Tobacco Sickness is a type of nicotine poisoning caused by the dermal absorption of nicotine from the surface of wet tobacco plants. The symptoms include vomiting, headache and fluctuations in blood pressure and heart rate. These may be so severe as to require emergency medical treatment.

In recent years, the production of tobacco is growing due to increased productivity by developing nations. The top producers of tobacco are China (39.6%), India (8.3%), Brazil (7.0%) and the United States (4.6%).

Nicotinic acid, better known as niacin or vitamin B3, has nothing in common with tobacco. Chronic lack of niacin leads to pellagra, a vitamin deficiency disease.