Mapacho / Wild tobacco
Nicotiana rustica
Photo credit: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
This plant carries serious safety risks. All information is for educational reference only.
Safety information
Toxicity: Very high. N. rustica carries among the highest nicotine concentrations of any tobacco; acute nicotine poisoning (vomiting, bradycardia/tachycardia, seizures, respiratory depression, death) is a genuine risk. Among the most acutely dangerous plants in this corpus.
Contraindications: Pregnancy/breastfeeding, cardiovascular disease, children, nicotine sensitivity; any non-expert/unsupervised use.
Interactions: Additive with other nicotinic/cholinergic agents and stimulants; nicotine affects numerous CYP-metabolized drugs and cardiovascular medications.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Contraindicated in pregnancy/breastfeeding.
Evidence level
Supported by clinical trials in humans.
Preparations
This plant carries serious safety risks. All information is for educational reference only.
multiple traditional ritual/medicinal routes — general categories only; NO method/dosing; FLAGGED · leaves
Part used: leaves
Traditional use: cornerstone of Amazonian shamanic healing — purification, protection, divination, reported treatment of mental-health and somatic complaints; ceremonial/medicinal by tabaqueros/maestros
Proposed mechanism: very high nicotine content
Dosage note (descriptive only): NO dosing/route detail given
Reference only — not a dosage instruction
Associated conditions
Nutritional notes
Not relevant (toxic plant).
Healing traditions
Sources (1)
- Indigenous-Amazonian Traditional Medicine's Usage of the Tobacco Plant: A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Plants (MDPI), 2023 (PMC9863029)