Using Tobacco as a Vegetable II
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Jim Kleebaum
Posted on: September 10, 2004

When I emailed you I was having a challenge find the source about tobacco as a nutrient. I have now located the source and it is: "Young Again, A Personal Guide to Ageless Living" by John Thomas (ISBN 1-884757-78-2).

Some of the quotes from his book are:

1. "Tobacco contains the ‘entire’ vitamin B-12 complex. Tobacco is very valuable food."

2. "Tobacco is the richest natural source of the Bs in the world -- nothing compares to it-nothing! Concentration of the B vitamins runs as high as 30%.

What? 30%?! 30% of what? Of dried leaf by weight? I agree that any plant with 30% B vitamins by weight would be pretty amazing; but this is simply too good to be true.

When ‘small’ amounts of green or dried tobacco are put into stews, beans, and salads, we get the ‘Bs’. Care must be taken in the choice of variety. Most importantly, fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar MUST be used to bring green tobacco within digestion range."

3. "There are many kinds of Indian tobacco (Rustica, Lobelia, Aztec, etc.) but they are not for consumption. Do not confuse garden and commercial tobacco varieties with edible tobacco. (for seed see the source page).

Just what variety is he talking about? I am very interested to know. Could you tell us what varieties he recommends on the source page?

From the quote I get the impression that there may be just a bit too much imprecision about which plant he is referring to. For example, Aztec tobacco is Nicotiana rustica while Indian tobacco is Lobelia inflata; but his wording and the order of the list in the parentheses seems to suggest that he is confusing the different varieties.

If his "edible tobacco" is not the same as "commercial" or "garden" varieties then what exactly is it? It would help to have botanical names here.

4. "... ‘nicotinic acid’ (the acid form of nicotine in dried tobacco) is the active ingredient....."

5. "It can be eaten fresh or steamed and can be frozen or dried."

6. "Home grown tobacco strengthens the immune system, improves mitocondrial oxidation (energy production), and boosts metabolic reactions in the liver."

The book contains no recipes.

[Addendum from Jim Kleebaum]

I took care to provide you only information which is quoted from the author. I do not have answers to your questions. I have ordered the source page referred to in the quotes.

As a sidebar, using radionics, I have been able to document a good increase from both your varieties of tobacco in both my wife’s and my general Vitality factor. Using dowsing, 2 inches square per day per person (in the green state) of either tobacco appear to satisfy both my wife’s and my daily vitamin B requirements (seems too good to be true!). We are at this time drying the tobacco and at this time do not know if the nutrient criterion will appear to remain the same as when green.

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