Vegan hookah tobacco?

Question

I recently heard that there was honey in all hookah tobacco, used as a binding agent. I'm not a recreational smoker, but a friend of mine whom is vegan is curious about buying a hookah for our apartment in college.

Is there any hookah tobacco that is made with strictly molasses and not honey..?

Answer 1

Some hookahs use molasses instead of honey, in fact I think molasses is more common. Either way, hookah STILL isn't good for you, vegan or not. It doesn't even make you feel good, really, I hated it the one time I tried it, it seems almost pointless in a way... at least with pot or other drugs they do something, albeit still being unhealthy or unnecessary, but hookah is kind of stinky and rots your lungs without doing anything for you, period. I'd reconsider, hookah has been proven to be worse than cigarettes, and part of wishing no harm to animals should include yourself maybe, since slowly wrecking your lungs and releasing smoke in the air that can damage the lungs of others isn't exactly vegan perhaps.

Answer 2

Huh? Honey IS natural. Tobacco is all vegan-what, you think it's meat?

I think you've been a vegetarian to long.

Answer 3

Okay here is the low down. Tobacco will have 3 different binding agents in the making of it. Molasses, Honey and Glycerin. Some may use a combination of these.

Most of the boxes will say what they use, such as honey, glycerin or molasses.

Brands that don't have honey

Tangiers

http://www.hookah-shisha.com/store/pc/vi...

Nakhla

http://www.hookah-shisha.com/store/pc/vi...

Brands that have honey

Romman

http://www.hookah-shisha.com/store/pc/vi...

I will post more when I find them our for sure.

Answer 4

sorry but I am only  here to correct the first person...he said, vegan, not natural... geeez

but as far as hookah goes,  my friend here gets tobacco froma a smoke shop and puts molasses on it herself. go to a smoke shop and ask them what you can put on it yourself to make it vegan friendly

Answer 5

Research has shown that hookah sessions are more threatening to a person's health than smoking cigarettes. Each hookah session typically lasts from 20 - 80 minutes and consists of 50 - 200 puffs which range from 0.15 - 1 litre per puff. This exposes the hookah smoker to considerably more smoke over a longer time period compared with a cigarette which ranges from 0.5 - 0.6 liters per cigarette. While the water absorbs some of the nicotine in the tobacco smoke, the smoker can be exposed to enough nicotine to cause addiction. Furthermore, the water moisture induced by the hookah makes the smoke less irritating and may give a false sense of security and reduce concerns about true health effects.

Other research shows that a 45 minute session of hookah tobacco smoking (tobacco molasses) delivers slightly more tar and carbon monoxide (around 5-10%) than a pack of cigarettes. This study has, however, come under criticism for using unrealistically high temperatures for the tobacco (600-650 degrees C) and using arbitrary figures for tar filtration rates. This could possibly have skewed results, as the carcinogenic and toxin levels of smoke increases dramatically with temperature (Wynder 1958). Common practice is to keep temperatures to degrees which do not "char" the hookah; that is within a temperature range of 100-150 C. (Chaouachi K: Patologie associate all'uso del narghile). The effects of these lower temperatures on tar are inconclusive, though Chaouachi indicates the tar would be less harmful.

Some hookah tobaccos claim to contain 0.0% Tar, but this is misleading due to the fact that tar is made when tobacco burns. However, when smoking a hookah the tobacco is heated rather than burned. More research is needed to determine the exact amount of tar produced in a session before the burning of the tobacco.

The World Health Organization Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg) presented an advisory note in 2005 on waterpipe (hookah) tobacco smoking and concluded that "waterpipe smoking is associated with many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking, and may, in fact, involve some unique health risks" and recommends that "waterpipes and waterpipe tobacco should be subjected to the same regulation as cigarettes and other tobacco products." However, Kamal Chaouachi, a French researcher who has been studying hookah usage and effects throughout the world since 1997, has criticized the WHO advisory note in a report and a book.

Some research has suggested that the use of the hookah may have less comparative cancer risks, though such studies are not conclusive (Hoffman, Rakower, Salem 1983 and 90, Gupta Dheeraj 2001, Tandon 1995, Lubin 1992, Hazelton 2001, Stirling 1979). The levels of carbon monoxide produced during a hookah session varies widely depending on the type of coal used. Japanese charcoals are thought to produce lower amounts of carbon monoxide. However there is a notable difference in areas of carbon monoxide absorption, in that while cigarettes have a notable effect on the small respiratory tracts rather, shisha smoking mostly affects the major airways (Bakir 1991, Kiter). This means a lessened FEV vs FEV1/FVC ratio compared to cigarettes, which is believed to be less harmful for the airways long-term though it may lead to general hoarseness.

The level of impact on a smoker's health is linked to the set-up and components of the hookah as well. A hookah only utilizing the basic components listed above is believe to have much harsher health consequences than one set-up properly and with various safety devices installed: Since the tobacco in a hookah is roasted as opposed to burned, the density and temperature of the tobacco is paramount to ensure a safer quality of smoke (Wynder 1958). Distancing somewhat the coal from the tobacco and placing a perforated thermal cover (not to be confused with a wind cover) over the bowl will reduce tar output. Using a Heba diffuser around the down stem in the water basin may provide a slightly greater amount of filtration, however a properly conducted study is needed to validate these claims. The use of a nicotine filter at some stage of the smoke cycle, preferably in the hose, may reduce health risks, but once again a properly conducted study is needed to validate these claims.

Hookahs can also be smoked with tobacco-free herbal flavours. These contain Sugar Cane Bagasse with no tobacco, nicotine or tar. This new method of smoking is aimed at replacing tobacco and thus eliminating its negative health effects. There have been few studies to show the impact of smoking herbal flavours in Shisha pipes.

Many articles suggest that there is simply not enough research to provide answers to determine the effects of hookah smoking. Research is under way by Fogarty International Centre-funded Syrian Centre for Tobacco Studies, Egyptian Smoking Prevention Research Institute, Research for International Tobacco Control-funded Tobacco Prevention and Control Research Group at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.