nabraxas Posted December 25, 2011 Someone once said that it is possible to tell the age ov a civilisation by the number ov it's vices. India has a ton, but it was only on this trip that i worked out how far they've taken the simple act ov chewing tobacco. Each pouch of tobacco comes w/a small vial ov lime/calcium oxide. They take a big pinch of the fairly well chopped, but not too dry, tobacco & put in their palm, then they add a sprinkle ov lime. Then using the thumb ov the other hand they grind & roll the two together for maybe 5 minutes until it's all thoroughly amalgamated & reduced down into as small a ball as possible. Then using one hand to hold the pinch ov tobacco & the other to pull one side ov the lip open, the pinch is inserted as close to the bottom & back ov the gum line as possible, where it's left to sit...no real chewing. What i never realised before was that they were using lime. I believe this would have the effect ov turning the nicotine salt into a freebase which would be more easily absorbed into the blood stream, & having this sitting on a blood rich part ov gum & cheek the lime slightly burns the area, allowing the nicotine to be once again more easily absorbed. It works pretty well, but i doubt if prolonged use would do you gums & cheeks much good. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hebrew Posted December 26, 2011 yeah i had that one, where you mix your lime with tobacco. mirage brand is the best IMO, already mixed with lime and a little menthol, yummy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted December 26, 2011 somehow i knew you'd be up on this on VS, you seem to have a powerful liking for non-smoking tobacco products. i came across a new one in Nepal, it's like the one you mentioned, ie:tobacco,lime & menthol already mixed together, but then packaged in tiny little tea-bag thingies made out ov a fabric like asbestos that actually gently scrapes/cuts away at the skin it's sitting next to providing an even better absorption. they have something similar in the states called skoal bandits: http://www.ussmokeless.com/en/cms/Products/Products_Brands/default.aspx but i don't think they use lime in the mix, they do have plenty ov flavours though. An American friend ov mine says that to get an even bigger hit they will dip the pouch in Everclear or some other strong alcohol & that too would get absorbed through the wound caused in the cheek/gum. Hardcore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hebrew Posted December 27, 2011 hardcore alright, i have had hkaini tea bags ones, but no abrasive shit in there not as strong as mirage http://www.ntpd.lacors.gov.uk/lacors/aio/163988 the mirage i like to partake in Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted December 28, 2011 It's a direct copy of the betel tradition. Arecoline is very similar to nicotine so it wouldn't have taken them long to change from one to the other, especially as tobacco was introduced into pan for that purpose. Very few of the betel cultures chew betel by itself these days. Most add tobacco into the quid. The chimo tradition is not that different either. Tobacco extract mixed with ash to create the freebase and then absorbed under tongue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hebrew Posted December 29, 2011 yeah chimo, i would love to read more about how chimo is used in contemporary times its sold in some south american countires i think as a commercial or semi commercial product Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
opiumfreak Posted January 1, 2012 its kind of confusing I dont really understand the different traditions you talk about? theres one indian product and one from tibet? what do they contain tobacco and lime in pouches? than theres this american thing which seems to be like swedish snus(yes we were first) only tobacco in pouches have I got it right ? and one other thing betel: is that actually chewed or just kept in the mouth? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
