Other Names: Nicotiana, Tobacco, Tabac
Botanical Information: The plant, which belongs to the nightshade family, is an annual and 1-2 meters tall. It is a herbaceous plant that rises vertically and its stem is round and dark green in color. Its leaves are dark green in color, have entire edges, are broadly lance-shaped, arranged in rows. Its flowers are gathered together like clusters, their tips are pinkish or lilac, and the rest is yellowish white. Its fruits are capsule-shaped, brownish in color, and contain small seeds.
Places of Cultivation: It is a plant whose homeland is America. It is grown generally in the Aegean region of Turkey and in small amounts in Southeastern Anatolia.
Collection – Storage: From August to November, the leaves are collected in the correct order from bottom to top, dried and slightly wetted, then sold to tobacco factories.
Known Composition: Its leaves contain tannin, gum, starch, resin and nicotine. Its seeds are rich in oil.
Harms of Smoking to Health:
It has been observed that smoking destroys cells and thus causes a person to get cancer more easily.
It has been determined that 95-98% of lung, mouth, larynx and lip cancers are caused by smoking.
It causes Alzheimer’s disease (dementia).
It causes cerebral hemorrhage, heart attack, and gangrene in the hands and feet.
It causes sexual reluctance.
It causes miscarriages in pregnant women.
It causes goiter disease.
It can cause many diseases such as nervousness, depression, neuralgia and headache due to excessive adrenaline secretion in the adrenal glands.
