Herbal cigarettes no safer than tobacco, finds IITGN-Illinois study

Herbal cigarettes, often marketed as natural, tobacco-free and safer alternatives to conventional smoking products, may be just as harmful as regular tobacco cigarettes, according to a new study by the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, found that smoke emitted from herbal cigarettes contained fine particulate matter and oxidative compounds at levels comparable to, and in some cases, higher than those found in tobacco cigarettes. The findings come ahead of World No Tobacco Day, observed annually on May 31.

Researchers compared emissions from two widely-used tobacco cigarette brands and four herbal cigarette variants sold in India. The herbal products contained ingredients such as basil, clove, cinnamon, mint, green tea, chamomile and water lily. Two of the products were wrapped in tendu leaves, similar to bidis.

The researchers found that herbal cigarettes emitted around 20% higher concentrations of sub-500 nanometre particles than tobacco cigarettes. These fine particles are associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

The study also measured the oxidative potential of smoke particles, a marker of the ability to generate reactive oxygen species that can trigger inflammation and tissue damage. Tendu leaf-wrapped herbal cigarettes showed nearly 49% higher oxidative potential than paper-wrapped variants.

Sameer Patel, assistant professor, IIT Gandhinagar, said the findings challenge the perception that tobacco-free products are risk free. “Emissions from herbal cigarettes are comparable to or exceed those from tobacco cigarettes on nearly every metric we measured,” he said.

Researchers also flagged regulatory concerns, noting that herbal cigarettes often fall outside the ambit of India’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), despite being marketed with claims of relieving stress, cough or anxiety.

The authors called for stronger regulatory oversight and greater public awareness around the health risks posed by herbal smoking products.