Originally published at: Smoking cigarettes to treat asthma was once a thing | Boing Boing
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There was never a point in the tobacco industry’s history when it wasn’t indulging in some form of evil.
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I do not believe that it is accurate that these cigarettes had tobacco in them. I recall seeing them in my father’s pharmacy when I was a kid and checking the ingredients, though I do not remember the brand, They were pure Datura Stramonium (or perhaps Brugansia). Seems others were blended with different herbs, but not tobacco that I have ever heard of or had seen.
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Here is one of the linked articles in the reddit thread which may answer the question as to whether they contained tobacco or not…
Feel free to read it and see if this is true or not. It looks like a peer-reviewed article, so… 
I have not read it, but this might tell you one way or the other.
A shorter article on it, which references the longer one…
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Interesting smoke will alleviate some asthma symptoms while making your underlying condition worse and slowly killing you. The smoke desensitises the little hairs in the throat that react to normal asthma irritants (pollen etc) and reduce the swelling that reduces your breathing. Of course modern inhalers etc do a much better job and we dont have to resort to the coffin sticks. By the way I’m actually in favour of prohibiting tobacco sales completely (the New Zealond model would accomplish this in a few years).
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In the 1910s my grandmother was a child and every evening after supper my great grandparents lit a cigarette and had the children pass it around the dining table, taking puffs to ‘aid with digestion’. We’re talking ages from 6 to late teens.
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My grandmother was told by her physician to smoke while pregnant
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From ad:
a little perseverance will effect a permanent cure
The permanent cure in fact.
These days people usually mean weed when they talk about going to smoke. I wonder how long we will continue calling marijuana cigarettes joints.
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Treats all sort of other ailments as well (not recommended for children under 6).
The right ones won’t irritate your throat, as many an actor knows.
They’ll keep you from getting fat.
They’re the ideal Xmas gift.
Not a cough in a carload.
But at least we can all agree that this tribute to @docosc is well deserved.
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It’s an absolute miracle the human race hasn’t offed itself yet. It sure as hell isn’t for lack of trying.
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Ummm, no.
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I’m treating asthma, right now!
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I like researching plants that most people consider “weeds” and learned a while ago that smoking common mullein used to be a folk remedy for congestion. I like the occasional smoke, so I’ve tried it. It’s interesting, but, eh.
I also am glad I don’t live in a time where this stuff is touted as curative anymore.
We’ve come a long way, baby 
Cue Breakfast Club gif. Poor Bender.
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This reminds me of an article I read a few years back that found out a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treating kidney disease actually caused kidney failure. It makes me wonder if there’s a name for a “cure” that actually causes the disease…
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homeopathy?
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Well, if it’s done the way it’s supposed to be, it doesn’t do anything at all.
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I don’t know, the placebo effect is pretty powerful.
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