Chinese Herbal Cigarettes Same Tobacco in New Packaging?

The consumer market for cigarettes is on the rise and so are the varied options.

Since most countries see nicotine containing cigarettes as being harmful to the smoker, several manufacturers and fly-by-night operators are using traditional Chinese knowledge of making herbal cigarettes that are free of nicotine-containing tobacco.

To those who enjoy smoking, Chinese herbal cigarettes present an interesting option. Many who read about these healthy (!) tobacco-free cigarettes are tempted to try them. Herbal cigarettes are traditionally made from special Chinese herbs and time-tested formulations. These are known to trigger chemicals to help you quit smoking, claim many herbal cigarette makers. They also claim that these cigarettes do not contain nicotine or tobacco.

There is also the claim that the herbal aromas will in fact detoxify a regular smoker from all the nicotine previously stored in the body. This will apparently help those in overcoming addiction. Following this therapy for a few weeks, claim manufacturers, one will loose the urge to smoke a nicotine or a tobacco rich cigarette and finally overcome the addiction to smoking. To make the product more interesting, most of these manufacturers offer these herbal cigarettes in several flavors or aromas. The most popular are menthol in rare, medium and high aromas. These are available in different sizes and in packs of 10 or 50.

The truth behind herbal cigarettes

Observing the growing popularity of herbal cigarettes not only in China but globally too, researchers at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention chose four parameters, or markers, that would define how nicotine is delivered between herbal and nicotine containing cigarettes. The study group consisted of 135 herbal cigarette smokers and 143 regular tobacco smokers.

After prolonged tests that included testing the urine samples of participants as well as evaluation of questionnaires, they found that there existed no significant differences in the levels of all four markers - there were two markers for nicotine and two classes for carcinogens.

The study found that as the level of the nicotine intake increased, so did the level of carcinogens. The more the nicotine smokers took in, the higher was the carcinogens presence. The study also established that the smokers who switched to herbal cigarettes for better taste were 47%; another 24% switched as they believed herbal cigarettes were healthier. However, the most significant impact was that the number of herbal cigarettes smoked each day increased substantially.

Verdict of the study

The study reiterates that adding herbs to the cigarettes in no way removes the nicotine product from regular tobacco products. Cigarettes are smoked essentially for the addictive nature of nicotine. These chemicals cause cancerous cells in the body due to the continuous release of harmful drugs in the region of the trachea and the lungs. Hence, most smokers are susceptible to cancer in the mouth and the lungs.

In conclusion, the Chinese cigarette makers are being misleading and unfair by using the term ‘safe’ to promote herbal cigarettes because nicotine continues to be present in them.