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Clove Cigarette Alternatives

Clove cigarettes are a mixture of one-third dried cloves and two-thirds tobacco. The Council on Scientific Affairs classifies clove cigarettes as tobacco products, and attributes to them all of the health hazards widely attributed to smoking all-tobacco cigarettes. Clove cigarettes are not "safer" than tobacco cigarettes. In fact, smoke of any kind is harmful to the lungs. While there are several alternatives available to clove cigarette smokers, the safe one is to quit smoking all together.

  1. Other Herbal Cigarettes

    • Several other herbs are combined with tobacco and marketed as cigarettes. These include jasmine, ginseng, rose petals, passion flower and even marshmallow plant leaves. While herbal cigarettes do not contain nicotine and are not physically addictive, they can cause lung damage, bronchitis and pulmonary edema. Herbal cigarettes are often artificially enhanced with flavors like honey, apple and vanilla. Because smoking is such a complex addiction, herbal cigarettes can provide much of the hand and mouth stimulation craved by smokers. However, the smoke is no less harmful than partially clove or full tobacco cigarettes.

    Electronic Cigarettes

    • Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered cigarettes that allow smokers to inhale nicotine without tobacco smoke. Very few studies have been done on both the effectiveness and potential harm of electronic cigarettes, which contain nicotine, propylene glycol and other chemicals. As of 2010, electronic cigarettes are not regulated in the United States, meaning that there is little to no legal protection for consumers who choose to use them. These products are also marketed as both an alternative to tobacco cigarettes and as a smoking cessation tool - neither of which is accurate nor has been verified by medical study.

    Quitting Smoking

    • Quitting all types of smoking is the only healthy alternative to both partially clove cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes. Quitting smoking drastically reduces risk of several cancers, including lung, esophagus and throat cancer, as well as the risk of heart disease. It's important to remember that while public opinion my laud clove and electronic cigarettes as alternatives to tobacco smoking, this is simply not true. Clove cigarettes are merely tobacco and clove cigarettes, and any ingestion of nicotine is harmful to the body. Smoking is not the way to quit smoking. There are several websites and hot lines like "Become and EX" that can assist you in proper smoking cessation strategies.

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