Myth: Tobacco Plants Are Only For Smoking: Difference between revisions
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*Conclusion: "In my own review of the published work four points struck me forcibly. First, too much was expected of tobacco. In medieval times, most herbs would be used only for a few conditions in which it was deemed effective—not for a vast range of disorders from head lice to haemorrhoids, from hysteria to tetanus, as happened with tobacco. Secondly, writings on this subject commonly imply that nicotine is the only active medicinal constituent, yet the various species of Nicotiana contain many other alkaloids. Thirdly, the leaves and juice were much used for skin disorders, possibly including basal cell cancer. Might tobacco leaves contain an anticancer agent, as proved to be the case with periwinkle (vinca alkaloids)? Fourthly, in therapeutic applications of tobacco, dosage was largely uncontrolled. With any useful agent, excess dosage will do harm. I suggest we should set aside the prejudices generated by the ill-effects of tobacco smoking and examine the leaves systematically for substances of therapeutic value." | *Conclusion: "In my own review of the published work four points struck me forcibly. First, too much was expected of tobacco. In medieval times, most herbs would be used only for a few conditions in which it was deemed effective—not for a vast range of disorders from head lice to haemorrhoids, from hysteria to tetanus, as happened with tobacco. Secondly, writings on this subject commonly imply that nicotine is the only active medicinal constituent, yet the various species of Nicotiana contain many other alkaloids. Thirdly, the leaves and juice were much used for skin disorders, possibly including basal cell cancer. Might tobacco leaves contain an anticancer agent, as proved to be the case with periwinkle (vinca alkaloids)? Fourthly, in therapeutic applications of tobacco, dosage was largely uncontrolled. With any useful agent, excess dosage will do harm. I suggest we should set aside the prejudices generated by the ill-effects of tobacco smoking and examine the leaves systematically for substances of therapeutic value." | ||
==Using the plant to make vaccines - Studies, Scholarly Comments== | ==Using the plant to make vaccines and medicines - Studies, Scholarly Comments== | ||
===2020: [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.594591/full “Tobacco Is the Chief Medicinal Plant in My Work”: Therapeutic Uses of Tobacco in Peruvian Amazonian Medicine Exemplified by the Work of a Maestro Tabaquero]=== | ===2020: [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.594591/full “Tobacco Is the Chief Medicinal Plant in My Work”: Therapeutic Uses of Tobacco in Peruvian Amazonian Medicine Exemplified by the Work of a Maestro Tabaquero]=== | ||
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* This work offers new technology for creating vaccines and hope for reducing vaccine costs. | * This work offers new technology for creating vaccines and hope for reducing vaccine costs. | ||
==Using the plant to make vaccines - Articles, News, Blogs, etc.== | ==Using the plant to make vaccines and medicines - Articles, News, Blogs, etc.== | ||
===2023: [https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2023/05/native-tobacco-plants-reborn-biofactories%E2%80%99-medicines-0 Native tobacco plants reborn as ‘biofactories’ for medicines]=== | |||
*"Professor David Craik and Dr Mark Jackson from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience have demonstrated native wild tobacco, ''Nicotiana benthamiana'', can potentially produce large quantities of drugs, cheaper and more sustainably than industrial manufacturing methods." | |||
*"The researchers grew the drug T20K, which is currently in phase 1 clinical trials to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), a devastating autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system...We have shown it is possible to scale up production of cyclotides in plants, providing a platform for growing other medications for pain, cancer or obesity,” Professor Craik said." | |||
===2020: [https://www.sciencealert.com/large-scale-studies-test-flu-vaccine-derived-from-tobacco-plants-for-the-first-time First-Ever Flu Vaccine Derived From Tobacco Plants Just Smashed Clinical Trials]=== | ===2020: [https://www.sciencealert.com/large-scale-studies-test-flu-vaccine-derived-from-tobacco-plants-for-the-first-time First-Ever Flu Vaccine Derived From Tobacco Plants Just Smashed Clinical Trials]=== | ||
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*The vaccine has been developed by BAT’s biotechnology division, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), which has previously worked on a treatment for Ebola and is also developing a seasonal flu vaccine. | *The vaccine has been developed by BAT’s biotechnology division, Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), which has previously worked on a treatment for Ebola and is also developing a seasonal flu vaccine. | ||
==Is there opposition to using tobacco plants to make vaccines? If yes, why?== | ==Is there opposition to using tobacco plants to make vaccines and medicines? If yes, why?== | ||
===2023: [https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/how-the-world-health-organization-helped-kill-a-promising-made-in-canada-vaccine/ How the World Health Organization helped kill a promising made-in-Canada vaccine]=== | ===2023: [https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/how-the-world-health-organization-helped-kill-a-promising-made-in-canada-vaccine/ How the World Health Organization helped kill a promising made-in-Canada vaccine]=== | ||