Uses for Nicotine

The negative effects from nicotine in cigarettes are well known, but it is interesting to learn that new medical developments are painting nicotine in its natural state in a more positive, useful light. It is hard to imagine the main ingredient in cigarettes helping patients suffering from debilitating illness, lifting depression and being used in insecticide, but scientists and researchers are exploring new ways to put nicotine to better use.

Depression/Anxiety

• There are countless reasons people start smoking, quit smoking or remain smokers, and it would be impossible to determine whether depression is directly affecting every single smoker. At the Duke University Medical Center, research is currently being performed to determine whether depression may actually be lifted by nicotine. Nicotine affects areas of the brain that influence moods, including neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. In a study at Duke, patients who wore a nicotine patch for 8 days reported a significant decline in their feelings of depression.

Parkinson's Disease

• It is hard to believe that nicotine could have positive medical effects, but scientists in the field of Parkinson's disease claim studies have shown it is true. Reported in Science Daily, nicotine has shown to greatly offset an illness called dyskinesias, which patients with Parkinson's disease suffer from as a result of their medication. Dyskinesias cause the uncontrollable shakes and tremors Parkinson's sufferers experience. According to Science Daily, scientists who have studied patients for 40 years report that nicotine has led to a reduction in tremors, claiming that nicotine may be "neuroprotective" for these patients.

Appetite/Weight Loss

• Weight loss and appetite control are almost synonymous with smoking. There have always been stories about people gaining weight when they abandon the use of nicotine and how their taste buds are dulled while smoking, so their appetites are turned off. Smoking studies at Vanderbuilt University have revealed that smokers have slightly higher heart rates and energy expenditure than non-smokers, which may result in more calories being burned, leading to weight loss. Further, when smokers have a cigarette in their hand or mouth, they can do without eating and, as a result, consume fewer calories.

Gardening

• Imagine the deadly effects nicotine has on the human body; now translate those effects to the tiniest bugs and creatures invading your garden. According to New Mexico State University, nicotine can be an excellent, effective insect repellent, as it causes the bugs to experience convulsions and then die. It is suggested for plants nearing harvest, including many vegetable and fruit crops.

Drink Replacement

• A Canadian beverage maker is touting nicotine as the next popular drink category. Flavored with lemon, the drink contains the equivalent of two cigarettes' worth of nicotine. The drink is targeted in places like airports, where smokers will be unable to access their nicotine while in the air, and movie theaters, which have banned smoking. The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved nicotine beverages for sale in the United States.