Pituri, aka mingkulpa, is a mixture of leaves and wood ash traditionally chewed as a stimulant (or, after extended use, a depressant) by Aboriginal Australians widely across the continent.

Leaves are gathered from any of several species of native tobacco (Nicotiana) or from at least one distinct population of the species Duboisia hopwoodii. Various species of Acacia, Grevillea and Eucalyptus are burned to produce the…

Average body temperature dropped every decade since the 1800s and even more every decade since 1960 

Attention, fellow humans! It’s time to chill out… literally! 🧊 Our bodies are on a cosmic cooldown, and it’s not just because we’ve all become walking popsicles addicted to air…

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) aka abrineurin

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), or abrineurin, is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the BDNF gene. BDNF is a member of the neurotrophin family of growth factors, which are related to the canonical nerve growth factor (NGF), a family which…

Tobacco-derived 4R-cembranoid confers neuroprotection against LPS-induced hippocampal inflammation in mice (decreases levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines; improves memory function; activates STAT3, Akt1, and CREB phosphorylation; and upregulates the mRNA levels of ORM2, GDNF, and C3) independent of the α7 nicotinic receptor

Rojas-ColĂłn, L.A., Dash, P.K., Morales-VĂ­as, F.A. et al. 4R-cembranoid confers neuroprotection against LPS-induced hippocampal inflammation in mice. J Neuroinflammation 18, 95 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-021-02136-9 LPS: Lipopolysaccharide “4R protects the hippocampus against inflammation and memory impairments…

Tobacco-derived 4R-cembranoid protects neuronal cells from oxygen-glucose deprivation by modulating microglial cell activation

Fu, Hefei et al. “4R-cembranoid protects neuronal cells from oxygen-glucose deprivation by modulating microglial cell activation.” Brain research bulletin vol. 179 (2022): 74-82. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.12.007 In the search for novel compounds to treat…

Patent for protecting and treating organophosphate-induced neuronal injury with tobacco-derived cembranoids and analogues

Ford, Byron, Ferchmin Peter, Eterovic, Vesna, Methods and compositions for protecting and treating neuroinjury (Patent), United States Grant US-8530525-B2 Assignee: Central University of the Caribbean, Morehouse School of Medicine, Status: Active,…

Identification of cembratriene-4,6-diol as antitumor-promoting agent from cigarette smoke condensate

Yutaka Saito, Haruo Takizawa, Sumie Konishi, Daisuke Yoshida, Shigenobu Mizusaki, Identification of cembratriene-4,6-diol as antitumor-promoting agent from cigarette smoke condensate, Carcinogenesis, Volume 6, Issue 8, August 1985, Pages 1189–1194, https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/6.8.1189

Tobacco use is negatively associated with the risk of developing skin cancer, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, endometrial carcinoma, or breast cancer (negatively associated with means less disease associated with)

Impact of tobacco smoking on the risk of developing 25 different cancers in the UK: a retrospective study of 422,010 patients followed for up to 30 years. Jacob L, Freyn…

Evidence of the protective effect of smoking against thyroid cancer

Cigarette smoking and the risk of thyroid cancer. Kreiger N, Parkes R. Cigarette smoking and the risk of thyroid cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2000 Oct;36(15):1969-73. doi: 10.1016/s0959-8049(00)00198-2. PMID: 11000579. Thyroid…

Cigarette smoking significantly reduces risk of endometrial cancer especially among postmenopausal women

Cigarette smoking and the risk of endometrial cancer: a meta-analysis. Zhou B, Yang L, Sun Q, Cong R, Gu H, Tang N, Zhu H, Wang B. Cigarette smoking and the…

Smoking is associated with a reduced risk of hypertension during pregnancy

The puzzling association between smoking and hypertension during pregnancy Zhang J, Klebanoff MA, Levine RJ, Puri M, Moyer P. The puzzling association between smoking and hypertension during pregnancy. Am J…

Evidence that cigarette smoking is associated with lower uterine leiomyomata incidence

A prospective ultrasound study of cigarette smoking and uterine leiomyomata incidence and growth Wesselink AK, Wegienka G, Coleman CM, Geller RJ, Harmon QE, Upson K, Lovett SM, Claus Henn B,…