However, they are just as problematic as traditional cigarettes and pose many health risks.
Clove cigarettes actually containmore nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxidethan traditional cigarettes.
What Exactly Are Clove Cigarettes?
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Cloves are most widely used as a cooking spice and lend their characteristic flavor and scent to clove cigarettes.
The cigarettes are usually machine-rolled and come with and without filters.
What Are the Ingredients in Clove Cigarettes?
Eugenol
Clove cigarettes also contain eugenol, a mild anesthetic that naturally occurs in cloves.
This numbing effect allows the person to inhale longer and more deeply than with traditional cigarettes.
It’s especially risky for those with existing lung sensitivities.
Like traditional cigarettes, clove cigarettes can also cause lung cancer andnicotine addiction.
They have the same risks for heart disease, cancer, and addiction as regular cigarettes.
They also come with additional risks, including inflammation and lung injury.
Clove cigarettes became popular in the United States among young people in the early 1980s.
The trend peaked in 1984 when imports, mainly from Indonesia, totaled 150 million cigarettes per year.
The trend began to reverse in 1985 as evidence suggested that clove cigarettes were more harmful than originally believed.
Symptoms included pulmonary edema, coughing up blood, and bronchospasm.
Are Clove Cigarettes Legal in the U.S.?
Companies that sell these products, including those flavored with clove, are subject to regulatory action.
Any product that is lit, burned, and inhaled is hazardous to delicate lung tissue and other organs.
One that contains tobacco is even more hazardous.
There is no such thing as a safe cigarette.
Frequently Asked Questions
In 2009, Congress enacted the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
Clove cigarettes fell under the ruling.
Ground clove buds and oil make up the other 20% to 40%.
Spices such as cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg add flavor.
The aroma of a clove cigarette is distinctively sweet and spicy, with hints of vanilla.
You’ve likely encountered a similar smell if you’ve ever baked or cooked with cloves.
Clove cigarettes (also known as kreteks) have been banned in the United States since 2009.
However, they remain available in many other countries worldwide.
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