Naswar

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

Form of dipping tobacco

title: "Naswar" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tobacco-products", "tobacco-in-afghanistan", "pashtun-culture"] description: "Form of dipping tobacco" topic_path: "general/tobacco-products" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naswar" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Form of dipping tobacco ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/NASWAR.JPG" caption="A pile of naswar"] ::

Naswār (Dari and ; ; also called nās (ناس), nāsor (ناسور) or nasvāy (نسوای), is a moist, powdered tobacco dip consumed mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as in surrounding countries including Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Naswar is stuffed in the floor of the mouth under the lower lip, or inside the cheek, known as butt style stuffing, for extended periods of time, usually for 15 to 30 minutes. It is similar to dipping tobacco and snus. Swabi, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda, Mohmand and Herat are renowned for their production of some of the highest quality Naswar.

Using naswar can cause a various harmful effects such as dental disease, oral cancer, oesophagus cancer, and pancreas cancer, coronary heart disease, as well as negative reproductive effects including stillbirth, premature birth, and low birth weight. Naswar poses a lower health risk than traditional combusted products. However it is not a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking. The level of risk varies between different types of products and producing regions. There is no safe level of naswar use. Globally smokeless tobacco products contribute to 650,000 deaths each year.

Types

There are two forms of naswar; powder, and a paste cake style mixed with lime. It has a very pungent and powerful smell, resembling that of a fresh bale of coastal hay, and has a subtle flavor as it mixes with the saliva. The nicotine effect can occur within 5 minutes after intake, producing a slight burning sensation on the inner lip and tongue.

Nas: tobacco, ash, cotton or sesame oil, water, and sometimes gum.

Naswar: tobacco, slaked lime, indigo, cardamom, oil, menthol, water.

Naswār is made from sun and heat-dried tobacco leaves. These are added to slaked lime, ash from tree bark, and flavoring and coloring agents are mixed together. Water is added and the mixture is rolled into balls.

Usage

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Насвай.jpg" caption="Packets of Naswar"] ::

South and Central Asia

The green powder form is used most frequently. It is made by pouring water into a cement-lined cavity, to which slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and air-cured, sun-dried, powdered tobacco is added. Indigo is added to the mixture to impart colour, and juniper ash may be added as flavoring.

Currently, in countries of the region naswar is sold in markets, usually on trays with cigarettes and sunflower seeds. In Kyrgyzstan, a related form known as nasvay has been described by AFP as "hugely popular" in Central Asia, with Kyrgyzstan's health ministry saying consumption has increased in recent years. The only exception is Turkmenistan, where in 2008 President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow signed a decree banning the production, sale, use and import of naswar.

In 2011, naswar was included in the list of narcotic and psychoactive substances to be controlled in Kazakhstan.

In November 2006, an editorial in the newspaper Daily Times in Pakistan caused some controversy over its allegedly biased representations of Pashtun predilection for naswar.

Eastern Europe and Russia

In Russia, naswar is not a traditional product, but it has gained popularity especially among teenagers. It was sold in the markets of Moscow and in other cities of the Urals, Volga, and other regions of the country. Its trade was usually conducted on trays with spices. According to the association of tobacco distributors "Grandtabak", in the first half of 2004, Russia's import of naswar or "chewing tobacco" amounted to almost 67 tons (valued around 2 million US dollars), primarily from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. On 23 February 2013, the Russian State Duma signed a federal law (N 15-ФЗ) which banned both wholesale and retail naswar from 1 June 2013.

Belarusian physicians have reported patients' medical information regarding naswar use to law enforcement agencies. In Estonia, naswar is distributed to nightclubs.

The ASH reported in March 2024, that in the UK smokeless tobacco products including naswar are most often used by Middle Eastern and South Asian Britons.

In February 2025, Solihull Council reported seizing packets of naswar during a trading standards inspection, describing it as illegal in the UK.

Health effects

Even though it is less dangerous than smoking, naswar is addictive, represents a major health risk, has no safe level use and is not a safe substitute for smoking. Globally it contributes to 650,000 deaths each year with a significant proportion of them in Southeast Asia.

Using naswar can cause a number of adverse health effects such as dental disease, oral cancer, oesophagus cancer and pancreatic cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and deformities in the female reproductive system. It also raises the risk of fatal coronary artery disease, fatal stroke and non-fatal ischaemic heart disease

Quitting naswar use is as challenging as smoking cessation. There is no scientific evidence that using naswar can help a person quit smoking.

Cancer

Naswar is a cause of oral cancer, oesophagus cancer and pancreas cancer. Increased risk of oral cancer caused by naswar is present in countries such as the United States but particularly prevalent in Southeast Asian countries where the use of smokeless tobacco is common.

All tobacco products, including naswar, contain cancer-causing chemicals. These carcinogenic compounds occurring in naswar vary widely, and depend upon the kind of product and how it was manufactured. A 2024 analysis of 14 commonly sold naswar brands from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, reported an alkaline mean pH (8.61), identified 85 organic compounds (including nicotine as the most common), found high concentrations of metals (including iron, tungsten and copper), and detected aflatoxins (including aflatoxin B1 and B2). There are 28 known cancer-causing substances in smokeless tobacco products.

Cardiovascular disease

Using naswar increases the risk of fatal coronary heart disease and stroke. In 2010 more than 200,000 people died from coronary heart disease due to smokeless tobacco use. Use of naswar also seems to greatly raise the risk of non-fatal ischaemic heart disease among users in Asia, although not in Europe.

Effects during pregnancy

Naswar can cause adverse reproductive effects including stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight. Nicotine in naswar products that are used during pregnancy can affect how a baby's brain develops before birth.

History

Naswar was introduced into Western Europe by a Spanish monk named Ramon Pane after Columbus' second voyage to the Americas during 1493-1496. In 1561, Jean Nicot, the French ambassador in Lisbon, Portugal, sent naswar to Catherine de' Medici to treat her son's persistent migraine.

References

References

  1. (10 July 2017). "Oral cancer via the bargain bin: The risk of oral cancer associated with a smokeless tobacco product (Naswar)". PLOS ONE.
  2. "Comparison of severity of periodontal clinical parameters among naswar/snuff users: Cross sectional study".
  3. (2010-11-22). "Naswar more injurious to health than smoking".
  4. (2016). "Use of smokeless tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis". European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
  5. (2019-01-01). "Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Among Smokeless Tobacco Users: Results of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Data". Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
  6. (4 December 2021). "The health impact of smokeless tobacco products: a systematic review". Harm Reduction Journal.
  7. (31 May 2017). "Trends in Smokeless Tobacco Use and Initiation: 2002 to 2014". Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  8. (2018). "Harm Minimization and Tobacco Control: Reframing Societal Views of Nicotine Use to Rapidly Save Lives". Annual Review of Public Health.
  9. (June 2023). "The global impact of tobacco control policies on smokeless tobacco use: a systematic review". The Lancet Global Health.
  10. US Department of Health and Human Services. Health consequences of using smokeless tobacco: a report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General. Bethesda, Maryland: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1986.
  11. (1992). "Control of Tobacco-related Cancers and Other Diseases: Proceedings of an International Symposium, January 15-19, 1990, TIFR, Bombay". Prakash C. Gupta.
  12. AFP. (2023-10-18). "Nasvay: The chewing tobacco poisoning Kyrgyzstan".
  13. "В Туркмении запретили производить, продавать и жевать насвай - ЦентрАзия".
  14. "ИА КазахЗерно".
  15. (15 November 2006). "EDITORIAL: Hasba Bill beats the WP Bill hands down!". Daily Times.
  16. "Унесённые пленом: Попавшие в плен военнослужащие считаются пропавшими без вести - FLB.ru - Агентство Федеральных Расследований".
  17. Гранд Табак. "Насвай - Словарь терминов - glossary - Гранд Табак".
  18. "Автоматизированная система обеспечения законодательной деятельности".
  19. [http://medvestnik.iatp.by/docs/mv_27/vs_raz.html Medvestnik] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-07-22 / Газета «Медицинский вестник»)
  20. "Газета "Молодежь Эстонии" 10.09.99 Кухня наркоманов становится богаче Инесса КОЛЛОМ.".
  21. "Tobacco and Ethnic Minorities".
  22. "Boss Mart 2 prosecuted for selling illegal tobacco and vapes {{!}} Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council".
  23. (2017). "Recommendation on smokeless tobacco products". [[World Health Organization]].
  24. (13 November 2015). "Health Risks of Smokeless Tobacco". [[American Cancer Society]].
  25. (25 October 2010). "Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer". United States Department of Health and Human Services.
  26. Royal College of Physicians of London. Tobacco Advisory Group. (2002). "Protecting Smokers, Saving Lives: The Case for a Tobacco and Nicotine Regulatory Authority". Royal College of Physicians.
  27. (2016). "Global burden of all-cause and cause-specific mortality due to smokeless tobacco use: systematic review and meta-analysis". Tobacco Control.
  28. (June 2023). "The global impact of tobacco control policies on smokeless tobacco use: a systematic review". The Lancet Global Health.
  29. (2017). "Smokeless tobacco (''paan'' and ''gutkha'') consumption, prevalence, and contribution to oral cancer". Epidemiology and Health.
  30. (2016). "Use of smokeless tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis". European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
  31. (2019-01-01). "Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Among Smokeless Tobacco Users: Results of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Data". Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
  32. (31 May 2017). "Trends in Smokeless Tobacco Use and Initiation: 2002 to 2014". Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  33. (25 October 2010). "Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer". United States Department of Health and Human Services.
  34. ERS. (2019-05-29). "ERS Position Paper on Tobacco Harm Reduction".
  35. (2016). "Use of smokeless tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis". European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
  36. (May 2020). "Epidemiology of head and neck cancers: an update". Current Opinion in Oncology.
  37. (November 2016). "Smokeless Tobacco Use and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: Pooled Analysis of US Studies in the INHANCE Consortium". American Journal of Epidemiology.
  38. (31 May 2017). "Trends in Smokeless Tobacco Use and Initiation: 2002 to 2014". Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  39. (2017). "Smokeless tobacco (''paan'' and ''gutkha'') consumption, prevalence, and contribution to oral cancer". Epidemiology and Health.
  40. (2017). "Key issues surrounding the health impacts of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and other sources of nicotine". CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
  41. Saeed, Muhammad. (2024-05-01). "Biochemical composition of a smokeless tobacco product (NASWAR) used in Pakistan". Journal of King Saud University - Science.
  42. (2016). "Use of smokeless tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis". European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
  43. (2019-01-01). "Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Among Smokeless Tobacco Users: Results of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Global Data". Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
  44. (June 2023). "The global impact of tobacco control policies on smokeless tobacco use: a systematic review". The Lancet Global Health.
  45. (1 December 2016). "Smokeless Tobacco: Health Effects". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  46. Bourne, G. E.: Columbus, Ramon Pane, and the Beginnings of American Anthropology (1906), Kessinger Publishing, 2003, page 5
  47. McKenna, T.: Food of the Gods - The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge - A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution, Bantam Books, 1993, page 199

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

tobacco-productstobacco-in-afghanistanpashtun-culture