Nicotine is the habit-forming drug found in cigarettes.
Nicotine is an alkaloid, an organic compound, which is the main component of the tobacco plant. The compound is mostly concentrated in the foliage of the plant and forms 0.3 to 5 percent of the plant in dry weight. Nicotine is created in the roots of the plant and then collects in the leaves. Nicotine is a powerful stimulant and creates the dependence caused by smoking. It is considered a nerve poison and is also used in a number of insecticides. Besides being a primary constituent of the tobacco plant, nicotine occurs in smaller quantities in a number of other plants.
Nightshade Plants
The majority of plants in the nightshade family produce some levels of nicotine. The tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum, also belongs to the nightshade family. Other plants in the group include tomatoes, potatoes, red peppers and eggplant and they all contain nicotine although in far lower levels than in the tobacco plant. Nightshade plants are very popular sources of drugs. Besides tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), mandrake (Mandragora officinum) and belladonna, or deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), are sources of drugs as well.
Kentucky Coffee Tree
Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioica) is among the plants which contain plant alkaloids with nicotine or nicotine-like actions. Kentucky coffee tree is a round-barked tree and belongs to the legume family. The tree has an average height of 60 to 100 feet with large branches that end in stout twigs. The tree blooms with inconspicuous greenish-white acmes and thick, flat pods with four to seven broad seeds covered with a sticky pulp. The nicotine is contained in the fruit of the tree. The pods remain on the tree through the winter and fall off in the spring. Kentucky coffee tree has little commercial value.
Poison Hemlock
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is another plant which contains nicotine and nicotine-like alkaloids. Besides nicotine, poison hemlock also contains the toxic alkaloids annabasine, cyticine and coniine, a very strong poison. Poison hemlock is a tall biennial with small, white flowers and dense branches. It belongs to the same plant family as parsnip, carrot and parsley. The plant is highly toxic and can instantly cause the death of small-sized animals. Poison hemlock grows to a mature height of about 2 to 4 feet and self-sows easily. Cut and dried plants lose their toxicity. Poison hemlock has been part of traditional medicine in many cultures, including the ancient Anglo-Saxon.
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