# Herbal Cigarettes **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2001, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308 "2001-01-16T11:58:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tevya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tevya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tevya)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/1 "2001-01-16T11:58:10Z")
Hey all, I need some opinions. I’m trying to quit smoking. However, I have a regular social gathering that I want to continue but where I find it very difficult not to reach for a cigarette. I’m thinking of picking up a pack of non-tobacco, non-nicotine herbal cigarettes from the health food store to help me through those cravings. I’ve tried them before and they don’t taste great so I can’t see myself smoking them all of the time. I kind of see them as small, cigarette shaped crutches to get me through those severe cravings. Good idea? Bad idea? Cheating? Any comments / questions / or general chatter is greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/2 "2001-01-16T13:51:06Z")
A good friend of mine quit smoking cigarettes, but occasionally smoked those herbal ecstacy cigarettes or whatever the hell they’re called. It seemed to work pretty well for him, he didn’t seem to have too many problems resisting temptation. He even turned down a joint with weed, hash, and tobacco, just because of the tobacco. (It was a damn fine joint, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![Many\_Crows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Many\_Crows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Many_Crows)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/3 "2001-01-16T15:59:12Z")
Sure it’s cheating, I tried the same thing. People thought I was smoking weed. I didn’t care for them so I went back to nicotine cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![tevya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tevya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tevya)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/4 "2001-01-16T16:22:58Z")
\*\* Tzel: \*\* Yeah, that’s kind of what I plan on doing. Having something to cure that urge to smoke but without having the nicotine. I have more of a psychological/ social/ oral fixation addiction to the act of smoking than a phsiological addiciton to nicotine. \*\* Many Crows \*\* The herbal cigarrettes I’ve seen look just like tobacco cigarrettes–filter and all-- so I don’t think anyone will think I’m smoking weed. I keep flipping back and forth on whether it is cheating or not. I feel that if it keeps me from reaching for a “real” cigarrette then it is a good thing. However, it is still smoking. Ideally, I’ll only use this on very rare occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Many\_Crows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Many\_Crows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Many_Crows)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/5 "2001-01-16T17:05:11Z")
“I have more of a psychological/ social/ oral fixation addiction to the act of smoking than a phsiological addiciton to nicotine.” Tevya, HA! That’s what I thought too til I tried to quit. The herbal cigs just don’t do the same job. "The herbal cigarrettes I’ve seen look just like tobacco cigarrettes–filter and all-- " So did mine, they actually _smelled_ like dope. Good luck to all that are still trying to quit. Personally I quit quitting. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2001, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/6 "2001-01-16T17:13:34Z")
Just keep in mind that smoke of any kind is not friendly to your lungs, and you will eventually need to give up the herbals as well. This method may be helpful, as it allows you to tackle each addiction separately. (Fight the physical addiction first, then worry about the psychological, while nicotine aids, like gum and patches, work the other way around.) ---
**Author:** ![hypergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/49beb7/32.png) [@hypergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hypergirl)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/7 "2001-01-17T03:21:23Z")
A friend of mine never smoked tobacco cigarettes, but when he went to college he started smoking cloves. He loves them, and I have tried them and they are far more pleasant than inhaling tobacco smoke and they make your hands smell really good for a few days after. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2001, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/8 "2001-01-17T12:27:00Z")
I don’t have any evidence handy except anecdotal, but the word on the street is that cloves are a whole lot worse than cigarettes. Friends have commented that after a while smoking cloves, their lungs can’t take it anymore, and they have to go back to tobacco just for relief. I’ll go see if I can hunt down a cite. ---
**Author:** ![parmalat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7c8e57/32.png) [@parmalat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parmalat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2001, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herbal-cigarettes/50308/9 "2001-01-17T19:19:31Z")
According to the Health Central site [http://www.healthcentral.com/DrDean/DeanFullTextTopics.cfm?ID=9917](http://www.healthcentral.com/DrDean/DeanFullTextTopics.cfm?ID=9917) clove cigarettes are mostly tobacco and therefore (I assume) have nicotine. I know that when I used to smoke cigarettes, I also liked clove cigarettes because they gave me a head rush. They did make my throat hurt like hell, however. When I first tried to quit smoking tobacco, I tried herbal cigarettes, but ultimately found them to be so bland and not like regular cigarettes that I stopped using them. They certainly weren’t addictive for me, so I never thought of them as cheating. BTW, I quit smoking about 3 years ago by using the nicotine patch and Zyban.