Tobacco

Nicotiana tabacum

Family: Solanaceae

Related Genera: Atropa, Capsicum, Datura, Hyoscyamus, Mandragora, Scopolia, Solanum

Names: Common Tobacco,Virginia Tobacco, Virginischer Tabak

General: Annual species, ,native to the tropical and sub-tropical Americans and now commercially cultivated worldwide. Other varieties are cultivated as ornamental plants or grow as a weed. Up to 2.5 m high with large green leaves and long trumpet shaped white-pinkish flowers. All parts are sticky, covered with short viscid-glandular hairs, which exude a yellow secretion containing nicotine.

Nicotine is produced in the root. All parts of the plant contain nicotine, except for the seeds. Older plants have higher concentrations of nicotine, which is dominant in the leaves (ca. 64%). The concentration varies, depending on the species, age, type of land, culture and weathers conditions. 

History & Folklore: In their first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus and his expedition were introduced to a plant whose smoke was called tobacco by the natives of Hispaniola.
In 1559 Jean Nicot, French ambassador to Portugal, sent it as a 'wonder medicine' to the court of Catherine de' Medici. In 1586 the botanist Jaques Dalechamps gave the plant the name of Herba nicotiana, which was also adopted by Linné. The plant was first grown as an ornamental, then considered a panacea and lastly became common to consume as a snuff and tobacco.

The leaf extract became a popular pesticide and in 1851 occured the first account of poison murder with tobacco leaf extract: Belgian count Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé had poisoned his brother-in-law out of greed.

The plant has a long history of use in Ethnomedicine worldwide.

Medicinal & Toxicological: Contains various alkaloids, foremost the potent parasympathomimetic Nicotine. Because nicotine acts as an antiherbivore chemical, tobacco and nicotine analogs are used as insecticides. The use of nicotine insecticide (waste from the tobacco industry) has decreased since the 1980ies in favor of other substances, which are less harmful to mammals. Nicotine sulfate sold for use as a pesticide is labeled "DANGER," indicating that it is highly toxic. After 1 January 2014, this pesticide will not be available for sale any longer.

In smaller doses (an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine), nicotine acts as a stimulant in mammals, while high amounts (30–60 mg) can be fatal. Nicotine is extremely addictive and nicotine addiction is considered one of the hardest to break, similar to addiction to heroin and cocaine. Nicotine also enhances addiction to other substances, such as cocaine.

Nicotine's mood-altering effects are both stimulant and relaxing, depending on the mode of consumption.

Sowing & Growing: Sensitive to temperature, air, ground humidity and the type of land. Temperatures of 20–30 °C (68–86 °F) are best for adequate growth; an atmospheric humidity of 80 to 85% and soil without a high level of nitrogen are also optimal.

Curing & Aging: After tobacco is harvested, it is cured (dried), and then aged to improve its flavor. There are four common methods of curing tobacco: air curing, fire curing, flue curing, and sun curing. The curing method used depends on the type of tobacco and its intended use.

• Air-cured tobacco is sheltered from wind and sun in a well-ventilated barn, where it air dries for six to eight weeks. Air-cured tobacco is low in sugar, which gives the tobacco smoke a light, sweet flavor, and high in nicotine. Cigar and burley tobaccos are air cured. 
• In fire curing, smoke from a low-burning fire on the barn floor permeates the leaves. This gives the leaves a distinctive smoky aroma and flavor. Fire curing takes three to ten weeks and produces a tobacco low in sugar and high in nicotine. Pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff are fire cured. 
• Flue-cured tobacco is kept in an enclosed barn heated by flues (pipes) of hot air, but the tobacco is not directly exposed to smoke. This method produces cigarette tobacco that is high in sugar and has medium to high levels of nicotine. It is the fastest method of curing, requiring about a week. Virginia tobacco that has been flue cured is also called bright tobacco, because flue curing turns its leaves gold, orange, or yellow. 
• Sun-cured tobacco dries uncovered in the sun. This method is used in Greece, Turkey, and other Mediterranean countries to produce oriental tobacco. Sun-cured tobacco is low in sugar and nicotine and is used in cigarettes.

Once the tobacco is cured, workers tie it into small bundles of about 20 leaves, called hands, or use a machine to make large blocks, called bales. The hands or bales are carefully aged for one to three years to improve flavor and reduce bitterness.

Sources: Wikipedia, Aussaat and Anbau, How to Grow Tobacco,