Perhaps one of the best ways we can
see the evidence of how there is a political agenda against smoking is by
realising that we are to believe it is the only natural substance to have no
medicinal properties. Despite the
ongoing battle to combat underage and binge drinking, there is still a lot of
publicity about the health benefits of one or two drinks per day. Yet, we are never told of any beneficial
properties of tobacco despite the fact that it used to be used for medicinal
purposes by American Indians for millennia (they used it to cure wounds,
swellings, coughs, colds, headaches, tooth-ache, rheumatism, stomach disorders
and many other ailments).
There is a large body of evidence
detailing the health benefits of smoking, which this chapter will be looking at.
A 1990 book by M. Castro states that a
homeopathic remedy can be cultivated from the dry leaves which is used in the
treatment of nausea and travel sickness.[1] Another book [2] speaks of how tobacco leaves can be applied to
the skin to treat rheumatic swelling, skin diseases and scorpion stings. Yet
another publication [3] mentions tobacco has a long history of
being used by medical herbalists as a relaxant, as well as the leaves being
antispasmodic, discutient, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, sedative and
sialagogue.
Edgar Cayce, a famous psychic
healer, recommended smoking four to six all-tobacco cigarettes each day for people
who suffer from asthma. A member of the
alt.smokers discussion group, Charlotte Roneus, is an asthma sufferer and she
finds that smoking cigarettes soothes her lungs and relieves the attacks. It has been known for centuries that smoking
is a remedy for a cough or bad throat, and whilst many smokers abstain from
smoking whilst they have an illness, those who do smoke with a sore throat often
notice it feels better.
[1] Castro. M. 1990 The Complete Homeopathy
Handbook. Macmillan.
London.
[2] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
1986 Glossary of Indian
Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research, New Delhi.
[3] Grieve. 1984
A Modern Herbal. Penguin
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Chapter 13: Benefits of Smoking