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Common Name: Indian Tobacco

General Information

Lobelia inflata is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials..

Known Hazards

Some reports say that the plant is poisonous[, , ], whilst another says that toxicity has not been established[]. It contains the alkaloid lobeline which has a similar effect upon the nervous system as nicotine[]. See also the notes below on medicinal uses.

Botanical References

,

Range

Northern N. America - Labrador to Saskatchewan, Georgia, Kansas and Arkansas.

Habitat

Meadows, fields, roadsides, waste places and open woods[, ]. Usually in dry soils[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in full sun or light shade[]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a slightly acid soil[].
Plants are usually annual, but are sometimes biennial[].
This species is occasionally cultivated commercially as a medicinal plant[, ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Indian Tobacco was a traditional North American Indian remedy for a wide range of conditions[]. Nowadays it is used mainly as a powerful antispasmodic herb in the treatment of respiratory and muscle disorders[]. Acting also as a respiratory stimulant, Indian Tobacco is a valuable remedy for conditions such as bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis[].
The dried flowering herb and the seed are antiasthmatic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and nervine[, , , , , ]. The plant is taken internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough and pleurisy[]. This remedy should be used with great caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[, , ]. Excess doses cause nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and respiratory failure[]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
The plant contains the alkaline 'lobeline' which has proved to be of value in helping people to give up smoking tobacco[, , ]. It is contained in many proprietary anti-smoking mixtures where it mimics the effects of nicotine[].
The alkaloids present in the leaves are used to stimulate the removal of phlegm from the respiratory tract[]. When chewed, the leaves induce vomiting, headache and nausea - in larger doses it has caused death[]. The alkaloids first act as a stimulant and then as a depressive to the autonomic nervous system and in high doses paralyses muscular action in the same way as curare[].
Externally, the plant is used in treating pleurisy, rheumatism, tennis elbow, whiplash injuries, boils and ulcers[].
The whole plant is harvested when the lower fruits are ripe and it is used fresh or dried[].

Other Uses

The plant has been burnt in order to smoke out gnats[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ. The seed usually germinates within 2 weeks.