Hey Everyone,

I have been snuffing for about 2 years now, somewhat on and off. Usually once a day, and then more on the weekends when I am drinking. I have done lots of research online regarding the heath effects snuff has on your body. Dispite the obvious heath concern around nicotine I am just curious as to the actually damage to your nose/ any other future surprises I may have when I am older. I love snuff just as much as the other guy, but heath is something I do value and would like to hear your thoughts around this.

Thank

Sometimes, I get a chapped nose.  That is all.

My nose gets chapped as well. Snuff has kept my sinuses more clear than they have ever been. 

I think there are some people on here that have been snuffing in excess of 30 or 40 years. The worst I have heard is a bit of sinus blockage and most of us have that with or without snuff.

It’s certainly a helluva lot better than smoking cigarettes, and for an asthmatic like me, it quite possibly was a life saver. So how’s that for health benefits?

@Sam, your nose might start bleeding slightly but that only happens after about a 150 to 200 years of heavy snuffing.

Life is short so snuff as much as you can as often as possible

Occasionally when I go on a month-long bender I’ll ruin my smell/taste for a few days. That’s about the worst I’ve encountered.

No suits have ever been filed against a UK manufacturer - one of them being WoS who started in the 1700s. 

No research to date has concluded snuff to be harmful - in fact some very respected bodies are saying snuff could save many lives; this point was first made in the medical journal ‘The Lancet’ well over 30 years ago.

Over use can cause congestion and nicotine may be contra indicated in persons with very high blood-pressure.

There have been relatively few peer reviewed serious studies but that is largely down to the ‘under the radar’ effect. With increasing criminalisation of smoking that may change. There are some good sources of reading on the Mr Snuff website.

But, if you are not already a nicotine addict why create an addiction where none was before? If you are a smoker, switch to snuff. Most everyone here is a major league nic head for whom snuff means enjoying tobacco when we want, where we want like we could with our smokes years ago and not too much to worry about health wise. Whilst I love and adore snuff I consider anything that is addictive to be for the addicted only. By most people here’s standards once a day is completely insignificant (I use 10g or more a day), so you clearly are not addicted to it. Stop now is my advice.

my 18 year old son is not a nicotine user, but he enjoys schmalzler with me after meals. he hasn’t shown any indication to want to use it regularly.

aah, good on him, whada i know:)

I will testify on having an inherited genetic disposition for nicotine. I consider myself very fortunate to have found snuff. Having never taken up cigarette smoking my younger years lacked a certain something. I ended up turning to anti-anxiety medication as a young adult. Now having a steady supply of nicotine I have simply dropped the meds. My quality of life has improved dramatically with tobacco use. Whatever “side effects” snuff has are certainly worth the risk in my case. I am certain that if it were not for corporate cigarettes, tobacco would have a much more respectable standing in the world of medicine.

^    I’ll pinch to that!

My mother has smoked 2 packs a day for 30+ years, including the time she was pregnant (thanks for the Asthma, mom!), and my father has smoked a pack a day for 40 years. So would make sense that nicotine would affect me (and other people whose parents are heavy nicotine users) would have such a strong attachment to it…and a friend of mine whose parents never smoked can pick up and put down cigarettes like they were nothing. I’m seen him smoke a pack a day for months and just put them down for months and then smoke lightly for a year then nothing AND NEVER GO THROUGH WITHDRAWAL…I frequently tell him how much I hate him.

“I am certain that if it were not for corporate cigarettes, tobacco
would have a much more respectable standing in the world of medicine.” @Juxtaposer

That’s a fascinating statement to me and I agree! That being said what are your reasons for believing corporate cigarettes are viewed so negatively? I want to get a sense if we all believe the same things. What could corporate cigarettes do to gain more respect? Could they?

This is not the full answer to the question, but I think this is a factor. Most of you are aware of what happens to the tobacco in most mass-market cigarettes- altering, chemicalizing etc. of the tobacco. Many would say this is done deliberately to make them more addictive, and it’s my opinion that this also makes them more dangerous. If this particular branch of the tobacco industry is mostly concerned with money, and ignoring other issues. It’s rather different than the snuff industry, the pipe tobacco industry, etc which gets repeat business because of quality not “chemical warfare”.

@thorgrimnr Unfortunately that discussion would enter the realm of politics. 

Certainly if it were not for cigarettes the original poster would not have posted this thread.

I think the genetic theory might have a lot truth to it; I don’t know how quickly the gene pool changes and if 500 years of Western tobacco use is sufficiently long enough for changes to happen - maybe it’s more an addiction gene. When I was a kid it was a non smoking house, but when relatives came round and smoked I found the smell intoxicating; I even collected the butts and hoarded them away to sniff in private - I couldn’t have been more than seven.

Does anyone here watch Tropical Bob? He does those youtube vids on how to save money on your tobacco habit; he makes the point that alkaloids in tobacco are integral to the brain chemistry that keeps you using nicotine, and the absence of those alkaloids in NRT products is the reason that most everyone that tries to quit with them eventually fails. So it seems fair to say that we have tobacco addictions, not just plain nicotine ones. I would certainly agree that there are addictive personalities - because I am one and I have had other addictions - and that in itself muddy’s the water. If such a thing were allowed these days it would be fascinating to do double blind testing on a significant population. My bet would be that people have tobacco addictions plain and simple, and  people with both a tobacco addiction and an addictive personality are the ones that can never quit, how ever many times they try and whatever NRT products are used. This group would be the one that snuff could help the most.

If you do any reading on addictions other than tobacco, it quickly becomes clear that there is indeed a strong genetic component to addictive neurochemistry and behavior.  The cluster of genes responsible for a predisposition to alcoholism were identified years ago. 

In a strange twist of fate, addictions got transferred between ethnic groups, too.  European settlers to North America introduced alcohol to the natives, while the natives introduced the settlers to tobacco, a trade-off that clobbered both groups in their respective genetic weaknesses.

It may be dangerous to snuff while preforming brain surgery. I figured I throw that in here for all the brain surgeons out there!

What fascinates me most about @Juxtaposer 's statement is could tobacco ever be respected by the medical community. Is there anything corporate cigarette companies could do, to not be so hated? What can be done to shift the concept that tobacco is only cigarettes? What can be done to shift the view that tobacco is only harmful? Can we get to a place where we, as a species,  stop being in fear of it? No one is forcing anyone to use it.

What is most harmful I believe, is not tobacco, not nicotine, but the inhalation of the smoke during the process of smoking. This would be true if we all decided to smoke carrot tops for example. Smoke and lungs are not terribly good friends, ever…but each person should have the choice to use tobacco as they see fit and I certainly don’t pass any judgement myself.  I enjoyed smoking when I did.

As an ex-smoker I know first hand how hard it was on my lungs. I would try and fall asleep but was kept awake by my own wheezing. I had to force myself to breathe shallower just to stop the squeaking in my lungs. I very quickly put the cigarettes down after 10 years, I moved on to Swedish snus for 5 years…and now I have put that down and am using snuff for the past two years.  I love tobacco well beyond the fact that it contains nicotine. I enjoy the history, the cultivation, the harvest, storage and production of it. It has so much breadth.   I would like to continue to use tobacco throughout my life as long as I continue to enjoy it .

Having health concerns about tobacco usage is responsible in my opinion. It means you have awareness and can make your own decision about it.

medical science is finaly catching up with the truth about the tobacco plant. It’s not there yet but there are a steadily increasing number of studies that find significant benefits. As well as realizing that certain tobaccos are diffrent then others as far as the negatives.

@Thorgrimnr smoking mullein herb Mullein helps to thin mucus and reduce chest congestion. It helps to make coughs more productive. and coltsfoot herb; smoking dried coltsfoot leaves was recommended treatment for coughs.bronchitis and emphysema systems.
Lobelia herb; lobelia is most often used as part of a smoking cessation program.The combination of lobeline to reduce the craving for nicotine and the expectorant action of the tea makes it a powerful aid for those who want to quit smoking .Lobelia is also an emetic,and one of the fastest knowing antispasmodics known.It has been giving to relax bronchial spasms during an asthma attack.

These three herbs combined make up the mixture to stop smoking. The lobeline is similar to nicotine and should be reduced weekly until none is added to the blend.

So there are some herbs that are good for the lungs but best taken as a tea,Smoking these in public has that familiar 60 tys herb smell to it.

@basement_shaman  -  thank you for the plant wisdom. I have used Mullein in the past just as you’ve mentioned here. I also try and drink an organic licorice root tea now and again to help clear my lungs.  Traditional Medicinal’s  makes an excellent one, but I have to be sure not to drink it too often as too much of the glycyrrhizic acid can be hard on my body. My adrenals are not what they used to be.

@basement_shaman I am very impressed. You certainly live up to your name. I can never remember that stuff off the top of my head and always have to go to my notes (or my wife) when I need an herbal medicine.

I wouldn’t be too  worried about to much liquorice root, I mean people commonly chew on the roots when trying to give up cigs, and the Chinese liquorice is actually the main detoxifier and used in most formulas. I mean it’s good to consult a professional about taking new herbs etc, but as long as you don’t have high blood pressure or certain kidney/adrenal conditions, it’s unlikely to hurt you- it’s even used in cooking. If your taking less than 10 grams a day I bet any risk is very, very low. They actually use it to counteract a mutltitude of toxins. But of course this is a laymans and former student’s opinion.

Glycyrrhizin works wonders on tobacco!

I’ve been told that the pipe tobacco industry uses more liquorice than any other industry.

Both my parents used to smoke, my mum managed to quit a few years ago, but I think my dad is still at it.
I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t started snuffing, I would’ve probably ended up smoking instead.  My brother took up smoking pipes and cigars around the same time I picked up snuff.

I’m rather inclined to agree that this addiction may run in the family.