Is Rustica dangerous ?

eblip

I am looking for a strong hit of nicotine, and some people on the site have mentioned rustica. I have googled rustica, and apparently it is just tobacco.

So it is totally confusing why some people on the site are saying, avoid the rustica snuffs. surely all snuffs are rustica.

Can someone explain what is going on ?

TigerJack

NO , It is perfectly Safe !!! Keep in mind there are pansies everywhere that are scared of there Bloody Shadow !!!!!

Wulfensteinsson

It's safe, as long as you use with responsibility, keep in mind that the most common strain of tobacco used commercially is the Nicotiana Tabacum while the commonly referred as " Rustica" it's a different strain (Nicotiana Rustica)  it' s safe but can be up to 9 times more potent in the nicotine department than it's tabacum cousin.

SammyD13

If you take have cardiac issues, stay away from rustica. Otherwise, tailor your amounts taken to your individual responses. I am personally able to snuff fairly large quantities and frequently, without any issues- save for insomnia if taken too close to bedtime.

Insufflemus

Some people have mentioned getting the sweats/nerves from rustica, though this might just be due to the high nicotine content. I recall someone mentioning a sort of hangover too, was it Roderick? The only side effect for me is it really cranks up my tolerance.

Rogue

Actually, rustica is very dangerous, but not in a toxic way. The danger is the high amount of vitamin N, which you can easily get accustomed to..oh, and its dangers to the cigarette companies are lethal. If you smoke and wanna quit, go for a rustica snuff!

eblip

Thanks everyone and in particular Wulfensteinsson, I now know what they mean when they speak of rustica.

bob

rustica can be dangerous in the same way that regular tobacco can be dangerous or higher caffeine coffees can be dangerous. Which is important to note and something you should be aware of. And that danger is really dependent on ones cardiovascular health in general and you might have some underlying issue you are unaware of. Though it seems like the biggest danger is just making your self feel sick. Rustica isn't general not used in commercial products just because of the strength but because it doesn't taste as smooth. So yeah be careful but not too careful. 

volunge

Just a few curious facts. Dried leaves of some N. rustica varieties contain up to 18% of citric acid and up to 15% of nicotine. Those varieties were bred in USSR as technical plants (natural sources of citric acid and nicotine for pesticides).

There are many varieties of rustica with lower content of nicotine, which were industrially grown in some parts of the USSR for smoking and snuff. Rustica (aka mahorka) was sold in 50 g packets, it was a mixture of cured leaves with midribs and crushed stems (stems were added for reducing the strength; pure lamina was considered too strong for smoking pure). It contained not less than 2.2 % of nicotine, as set by state standard. Rustica snuff contained not less than 1.8% of nicotine.

Rustica is still grown industrially in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some Maghreb countries for cigarette blends, snuff and oral tobacco (chema).

TigerJack

As I stated there are Pansies everywhere !!! Rustica is perfectly safe unless you maybe sniff a whole tin all at once & actuall probably all that would do is make you sick as a dog and that's about it.

ar47

I believe it has some MAOI compounds in it, which can have side effects. I've enjoyed much Rustica though with no ills to support

northstarr

I only recently acquired a bag of Rustica for the 1st time. I'm a long time snuff user, and enjoy a good Nic

hit as well. However, for me Rustica by itself is a bit harsh. Again this is just my personal opinion for me.

I plan on using this more as a mixer into some of my other flavored snuffs to 1, mellow out the Rustica,

and 2, to up the Vitamin N on the mixes.  And NO I ain't no Pansie. LOL.

Roderick

I think I must be a pansy!  Straight Rustica and a good pinch will make me sit down.  A day with W&HUSA and I can't sleep.  I'm the same with cigars.  I love it at first but by the time I get to the end I'm keen to let it go out.  I stopped smoking with snuff and I think my tolerances get less and less each year.

volunge

Rustica is a good natural source of citric acid, too. I think it adds to the harshness.

Gormur

From the little I've tried I can tell right away it's n. rustica.  The first sign is there's less smell to it then there's no burn in my nose after a pinch.  After that it sits there before I feel anything, let's say five minutes.  There's no buzz or kick (insert scientific word, hehe) but more lingering that lasts several hours

I likely haven't tried enough variety to speak authoritatively but I'm positive that what I've had feels distinctly other to n. tabacum.  It could also be a sensitivity to MAOIs that accounts for a unique experience

Bryceton

Rustica is a wild tobacco, it is different from the domesticated species. It is used commonly by shamans in South America and by general public (mostly rural) in Vietnam. One of my college buddies from Vietnam smokes it out of a bamboo water pipe. I think its called "Thuoc Lao" there or something like that (not sure don't quote me on the Vietnamese name).

It's safe enough in moderation, I used to smoke Rustica cigars daily when I lived in Peru (its called "Mapacho" there). One thing i found is that it is considerably unpredictable in terms of strength. Some of the cigars I could smoke the whole thing and some would give me the wobbles 1/4 of the way into it. As cigars it was very smooth, delicious, and very mild smoke, often deceptively strong.

I bought some of Toque Rustica and I can take it pure with no problems but typically mix it 50/50 with other snuffs partly because I don't want to develop any more of a nicotine tolerance and partly because its seriously dry and fine and does better mixed with a moister snuff.

Yes it does have higher concentrations of both nicotine (up to 9 times more) and MAOI-B (up to 100 times more) compounds than domesticated tobacco, the MAOI activity both potentiates and lengthens the nicotine effects as well so it is easy to over-do it when using Rustica.

Rustica was very likely one of the first tobaccos brought back by the Spaniards after their exploits in South America.

Just approach with caution and you'll be ok.

Johano

Using my homemade rustica for a while, I quickly realised that the only part of the day I can take bigger pinch of this stuff is in the evening, right before sleep. It makes my head very cloudy, really relaxed and in bigger amount cures my occasional insomnia. It works immediately, wonderful thing. I never experienced such effect with regular tobacco snuff.

On the other hand, taking modest amount of rustica first thing in the morning is quite stimulating. It is a truly strange plant!

Gormur

@Johano I was thinking the same.  Just this morning I took 6 pinches of Toque Rustica.  I was actually a bit scared to drive, so I waited half an hour till I reached baseline

Johano

I think that anabasine alkaloid present in N. rustica varietes can be one of the main a reason for 'sedative' kind of effects I noticed. Take a look: https://i.ibb.co/1JPdn1S/20201102-124421.jpg

I cant find any info on anabasine when it comes to being a depressant/sedative in action, but there is report on N. glauca that confirms that. Seems theres not much of it in when u compare to glauca (note that its practically all anabasine when it comes to alkalis, almost nicotine free), nonetheless it could have some impact on the effects.