Indian Tobacco
Botanical Name: Lobelia inflata.
Other Common Names for Lobelia Inflata: Lobelia, pukeweed, Indian tobacco, gagroot, asthma weed, vomitwort, bladderpod, rapuntium inflatum.
Habitat: Lobelia is found in drier areas of America and Canada.
Plant Description: This herb is named after Mattias de Lobel, a botanist who lived in the 17th century. This herb is 30-60cm high and with sparsely leaved stems; Lobelia is an annual or sometimes biennial plant. The delicate flowers stem from a central stalk and are pale blue to violet in colour with a yellow tinge within, making this herb a popular flowering garden plant. The partial explanation why this herb is being compared to tobacco could be that when chewed, this herb tastes similar to tobacco.
Plant Parts Used: Flowering parts and seeds
- Lobelia inflata was used in the 19th century as a medicinal herb to induce vomiting as a mean to remove harmful toxins from the body, which explains one of its name "puke weed."
- Lobeline is a piperidine alkaloid found in lobelia and gives rise to the therapeutic claims surrounding this herb. It is thought to stimulate the respiratory center of the brain resulting in deeper and stronger breathing. At a non toxic dose, lobelia is thought to be of value as an herbal remedy for treating bronchitis and whooping cough. Lobelia inflata is a bronchodilator and antispasmodic which explains its popularity as a medicinal herb for asthma, spasmodic croup and pneumonia.
- Lobelia is often considered an herb that is useful for tobacco withdrawal and as an herbal remedy to quit smoking. While there is no information that consolidates this view, historically, lobelia has been used as an alternative to tobacco. Lobeline is also believed to have a similar chemical action to nicotine and this too could give reasoning behind its use in tobacco withdrawal. However, it is vital to note that this herb can have risks that outweigh its benefits and has been known to cause vomiting, dizziness, hypothermia, convulsions and even death.
