The Use of Tobacco
If you are a smoker there are many healthier, cheaper alternatives to the commercially grown tobacco Nicotinia sp. and some of them can be medicinal in the short term. If you do not smoke, however, the best course of action is not to start. Smoking any herb is not healthy for you in the long run. This page was created because I believe in knowledge, not to advocate the act of inhaling harmful substances.

The plants listed below are perfectly legal under British law. If you live elsewhere then please check before you use them.

Preparing the Tobacco
Herbs dried the normal way are too harsh to be smoked. They must be dried slowly and never allowed to dry out completely. Dry them out until only the tiniest moisture remains, then pack them tightly into containers. If they do dry out, spray them with water and mix the herbs thoroughly. Moisture can also be added in the form of a slice of apple, honey or brandy. Once ready, crumble the herb into a fine mixture with your fingers. Cigarette smokers will need to remove pieces of stem and other large parts which will not burn as well. Pipe smokers need not be as careful. Some herbs need 'rubbing' between the fingers to make them less dense; this makes them burn better.

Herbs Which can be Smoked Alone

Bogbean/Buckbean - Menyanthes trifoliata
Chervil - Anthriscus cerefolim
Coltsfoot - Tussilago farfara
Hawthorn (young leaves) - Crataegus oxyacantha
Life Everlasting - Gnaphalium polycephalum
Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris
Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
Pearly everlasting - Anaphalis margaritacea
Rockrose - Helianthemum canadense
Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis
Sage - Salvia officinalis
Sumac - Rhus glabra
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium

Herbs Which can be Added for Flavour/Scent/Medicinal Value

Bearberry - Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Betony (leaves) - Stachys officinalis
Blackberry (root) - Rubus villosus
Bogbean/Buckbean - Menyanthes trifoliata
Chamomile (flowers) - Anthemis nobilis
Cubebs - Piper cubeba
Eyebright (leaves) - Euphrasia officinalis
Field Mint - Mentha sp.
Horehound - Marribium vulgare
Lavender - Lavandula officinalis
Licorice - Glycyrrhiza glabra
Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
Rose (flowers) - Rosa sp.
Sweet Flag (root) - Azorus calamus
Sweet Gum (balsam) - Liquidambar styraciflua
Wild Marjoram - Origanum vulgare
Woodruff - Asperula odorata
Yellow Melitot - Melitotus officinalis

PLEASE NOTE: It is very important to identify the herbs correctly. For instance, Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba), a tussock forming woody perennial with dull green, flat, pinnate leaves and fragrant white flowers, causes mouth/lip ulcers if not dried completely as must with tobacco. CHECK to see if the herb has a medicinal effect before using. Coltsfoot, for instance, is an expectorant. Smoking too much of it would make you cough so much your lungs could be permanently damaged.