Herbal Smoking Mixtures

by Phil Osopher

I found this nifty little tidbit in the school library and thought everyone might like to look it over. It comes from the book 'Mastering Herbalism'.

Tobacco Substitutes

Here's a rundown on herbs you can use as tobacco substitutes:

Basic Smoking Herbs

Bearberry leaves (Uva-ursi)

Buckbean leaves (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Chervil leaves (choerophyllum sativum)

Coltsfoot leaves (Tussilago farfara)

Corn Silk (Stigneta maidis)

Dittany leaves (Cunila mariana)

Eyebright leaves (Euphrasia officinalis)

Life everlasting leaves (Antennaria dioicia)

Marjoram leaves (Origanum marjorana)

Mullien leaves (Verbascum thaspus; said to give relief from asthma.)

Raspberry leaves (Rubus strigosus)

Rosemary leaves (Rosmarinus officinals; mixed w/ coltsfoot to relieve asthma

Sage leaves (Salvia officinalis; said to give relief from asthma.)

Wood betony leaves (Betonica officinalis)

Yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum)

Aromatic Smoking Herbs

Try adding any of these herbs and spices to your herbal tobacco to give it added aroma:

Allspice berries (spicy aroma)

Licorice root (sweet)

Cascarilla bark (musky)

Melilot flowers (vanilla aroma)

Cubeb berries (spicy aroma)

Sassafras bark (sweet)

Deers tongue leaves (vanilla aroma)

Thyme leaves (incenselike)

Eucalyptus leave (menthol aroma)

Tonka beans (vanilla aroma)

Lavender flowers (very fragrant)

Woodruff leaves (vanilla aroma)

British Herbal Tobacco

This is a pleasant tasting and aromatic mixture which i can heartily recom- mend for anyone anxious to find a less noxious substitute for tobacco. It can be smoked in a pipe or rolled into cigarettes. Pipe smoking, however, precludes the direct (and harmful) inhalation of saltpeter from the papers.

16 pt. dried coltsfoot leaves

2 pt. dried rosemarry leaves

8 pt. eyebright leaves (Euphrasia officinalis)

1.5 pt. dried thyme

1 pt. dried lavender flowers

8 pt. buckbean leaves

1 pt. rose petals

4 pt. wood betony leaves

1 pt. camomile flowers (optional)

Although they do form part of the recipe, I usually omit the rose and cam- omile as i find they distract from rather than add to the flavor. The herbs should be rubbed to a coarse powder through the fingers or the wire mess of a sieve. Make sure they get a good mixxing too. If you prefer a milder blend, increase the porportion of coltsfoot leaves. Any of the aro- matic smoking herbs can, of course also be incorporatd to give your blend extra distinction.

Intoxicating Smoking Herbs

Finally here is a list of some of the common herbs that are being used today to give herbal tobacco that something extra. Unlike cannabis, all these are legally obtainable (as of the time of this writing), but some of them at least could be harmful taken to excess. As with all powerful herbs an spices ,any good thing can be overdone.

Boldo leaves (rather harsh on the throat)

Broom tops (be careful with these; they can be dangerous)

Catnip leaves

Damiana leaves

Ginseng leaves

Hydrocotyle asiatica minor (stimulant in small doses, but narcotic in large) Lobelia leaves (herbalists use these in asthma preparations; I wouldnt recommend them because, like broom tops, they can be dangerous.)

Passionflower leaves

Poppyheads and leaves (if they're whit poppies, then they're opium and very illegal; however, legal red poppies also have a mild effect)

Wild lettuce juice (also known as lettuce opium; need i say more?)

Yarrow leaves

This concludes this excerpt. I hope it proves useful or interesting to you.