Thinking about naswar

Naswar is a smokeless tobacco (ST) usually containing powdered tobacco, slaked lime and indigo. It is used by sniffing (nasally) or 'dipping' (placing a pinch under the tongue or in the cheek where it is stored).
Naswar is made from fresh tobacco leaves, calcium oxide and wood ash.

Naswar is a mixture of sun-dried, sometimes only partially cured, powdered local tobacco, ash, oil, flavouring agents (eg cardamom, menthol), colouring agents (indigo or yellow) and lime or calcium carbonate, water and guar gum. Ammonium chloride is added as a preservative and to give it bite. It is usually sold in round or square plastic packets held with a rubber band to keep it from exposure to the air. A single packet costs Rs10 and can yield up 20 pinches. Unlike chewing tobacco, naswar is taken as a pinch and packed into the jowl. It used to come in special steel snuff boxes but those are rare these days. The tins would come fixed with a vanity mirror men used if they wanted to fix their comb-over.

Side effects[edit]

The major side effect of using naswar is addiction, and it becomes difficult to get rid of it. It is also increasingly known that naswar often causes oral and throat cancer.

Availability

Naswar is available in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and South Africa.2 In Northern Pakistan, the most commonly consumed ST is Naswar,4 with green, grey (or black) and red variants. Whilst Naswar is reported as available in England.