Ancient Uses Of Tobacco

We all know about the dangers of smoking today – the reason why many people want to stop smoking or quit smoking fast. But our forefathers didn’t have this information before. In fact, tobacco was a prized commodity in those days and was even used as a medicine. The history of smoking goes back to 5000–3000 BC when tobacco was cultivated in South America. As people learned how to burn tobacco, the practice became an important part of shamanistic rituals.rnBy smoking tobacco and other hallucinogenic drugs, the ancients could enter into a state of trance and see the spirit world. Eastern North American tribes once carried large amounts of tobacco in pouches since the plant was a popular trade item. This was smoked in pipes by adults and children alike either in sacred ceremonies or to seal bargains. Many believed that tobacco was a gift from the creator and that the exhaled smoke could carry the user’s thoughts and prayers to heaven. Tobacco also had various medicinal uses in the early days. It was used as a painkiller for earache and toothache. Desert Indians relied on smoking to cure colds, especially if the tobacco was mixed with the leaves of the small Desert Sage, Salvia Dorrii, or the root of Indian Balsam or Cough Root, Leptotaenia multifida. This combination was also believed to be good for asthma and tuberculosis. No wonder a fast quit was hard then. Before sacrificing thousands of people to their god Tezcatlipoca, the Aztecs also enjoyed a good smoke while the medicine men of the Tonoupinambaultiis tribe in Brazil puffed the smoke coming out of their pipes into the faces of the laity to endow them with heroic virtues. This was often done before a battle since tobacco supposedly gave the warriors demonic strength. Of course, modern science has dispelled these tobacco myths and many people are looking for ways to fast stop smoking. By far, this is the best way to avoid the dangers of tobacco.